How a Canadian prodigy became the first million-pound signing in women's soccer history
In short: Olivia Smith has been obsessed with soccer since birth, training in freezing conditions and studying sports highlights with her father. Her relentless drive, bolstered by a background in taekwondo, propelled her from a youth prodigy to a record-breaking professional star who continues to redefine the limits of the game.
Born in 2004, Olivia Smith’s path to professional soccer was marked by an intense, early-childhood focus. Her father, who coached her first team, meticulously tracked her development, filming matches and logging every touch and goal. Beyond the pitch, her parents enrolled her in gymnastics and taekwondo to cultivate physical flexibility and a combative mentality. Smith credits this martial arts training for her aggressive, attacking style, viewing individual duels with defenders as personal battles to be won.
Smith’s rise was rapid. By age 15, she became the youngest player to debut for the Canadian senior national team. After a dominant 2022 season in League1 Ontario—where she scored 18 goals in just 11 games—she moved to Portugal’s Sporting CP. Her professional trajectory accelerated upon joining Liverpool in 2024, where she became the first woman to score for the club at Anfield. Her performance earned her the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Women's Young Player of the Year award, making her the first non-English recipient.
In July 2025, Smith shattered transfer records by signing with Arsenal for £1 million, the highest fee in women's football history at the time. Her impact was immediate; she scored on her debut and helped Arsenal win the inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup. Despite recurring injury setbacks, including concussions and a hip pointer, Smith remains a central figure in both the English WSL and the Canadian national team program.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Olivia Smith (soccer)
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