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June 2026 is simply a period Caroline Weir is improbable to forget. She scored 7 goals successful 2 Scotland games arsenic nan squad clinched apical spot successful their World Cup qualifying group, watched connected pinch joyousness astatine 2am arsenic Scotland’s men secured their first World Cup triumph for 36 years, and past her move to OL Lyonnes was announced by nan eight-time European champions.
The Scotland skipper says nan lure of playing for Europe’s astir dressed up women’s nine made nan transportation an easy determination aft 4 happy years playing for Real Madrid.
“At this shape successful my career, I want to push on,” nan 30-year-old says of joining this season’s beaten Champions League finalists. “I want to beryllium competing to triumph things, I want to beryllium playing pinch nan champion players. I would emotion to beryllium up location competing for nan Champions League. The measurement nan title now is truthful competitive, location are truthful galore much eyes connected it and I want to beryllium successful nan last stages.
“That’s ne'er a fixed – it’s really reliable to get to semi-finals and finals and past evidently to triumph it is truthful reliable – but I want to beryllium successful nan speech aliases astatine slightest astatine a nine [where] that’s what they hole to beryllium at, astatine nan extremity of nan season. They’re a monolithic nine pinch a monolithic history arsenic well, a successful history and tons of trophies. I want to situation myself to play pinch those players and besides nan manager.”
Weir says conversations pinch nan Lyonnes caput coach, Jonatan Giráldez, helped her cognize this move was nan correct choice. The Spanish erstwhile Barcelona coach outlined really he envisaged her thriving successful his tactical plans. “It was absorbing speaking to him,” says Weir, who signed a three-year contract. “We said astir things he thought I was bully at. We besides said astir things he thought I could improve, which I deliberation was bully for maine to hear, and my style of play, [being] a No 10, being left-footed and conscionable really he sees maine playing alongside different players successful that position, truthful we did speak rather in-depth astir tactics. That gave maine a bully thought of what to expect.
“He’s worked pinch nan champion players and won everything truthful location were a number of factors progressive but it was an easy determination successful nan end.”
Before pre-season training originates successful July, Weir has 3 large things connected her to-do database for settling into a caller city: uncovering a bully nail salon, uncovering location to get her eyelashes done and acquainting herself pinch nan champion section parks to locomotion her canine – Parc de la Tête d’Or, adjacent nan Rhône, should beryllium ideal. Weir, who had ne'er been to Lyon earlier discussing her transfer, likens nan city’s beauty to that of Scotland’s superior and says: “I cognize it’s for illustration nan nutrient superior of France; I’ve been proceeding nan nutrient is amazing. When I went there, it really reminded maine a small spot of Edinburgh, for illustration a French type of Edinburgh.”
Weir says, though, that she and her hubby are “going to miss” nan Madrid lifestyle. She leaves arsenic Real’s all-time grounds scorer pinch 63 goals successful her 125 appearances, won nan club’s adoration and will look backmost fondly connected her 4 years successful Spain, wherever she vanished arsenic a convention runner-up to Barcelona each season.
“I bespeak pinch very happy memories, connected and disconnected nan pitch,” says Weir, who besides holds nan nine assists grounds (40). “My only regret is we didn’t triumph that first title. But isolated from that, really I impacted nan team, I’m really proud of those statistics. Madrid, maine and my husband, we were very happy there. It’s an astonishing lifestyle, an astonishing city. But I consciousness for illustration that section came to a earthy extremity and I was besides fresh to move on.”
Bidding farewell to Weir, Real said nan nine wished to “express its gratitude and affection for everything she has contributed to our club, arsenic good arsenic for her professionalism, commitment, and dedication”, and she besides received a personalised connection connected a signed garment from Jude Bellingham. “Jude and I person spoken respective times. We’ve ever sewage connected good and had bully conversations astir nan nine and Madrid. For him to constitute that connection – I would person been happy pinch nan signed apical – that connection conscionable shows really prestigious a personification he is. He’s a awesome feline and that was a really bully touch.”
The British duo could not meet to opportunity goodbye because Bellingham was training pinch England earlier nan World Cup, a tourney which is whetting Weir’s appetite for adjacent summer’s Women’s World Cup successful Brazil. After Weir scored a hat-trick against Israel connected 5 June, past backed it up pinch 4 goals against nan aforesaid force 4 days later, Scotland person topped their League B group successful European qualifying to scope nan playoffs, and will find retired their playoff opponents connected Thursday.
After watching nan men hit Haiti arsenic a instrumentality from backmost location successful Scotland, Weir, named arsenic nan women’s team’s skipper successful February, says: “I’ve ne'er seen truthful galore Scotland tops. It is amazing. Scotland flags connected cars, extracurricular houses. It’s really special. It’s astonishing to spot that. It’s truthful inspiring.
“Going to Brazil for a World Cup, it’s conscionable what dreams are each about. It’s No 1 connected my database of dreams. Obviously Champions League and nine level, but I deliberation to return Scotland to a World Cup is up there. We were speaking astir it a batch precocious and because nan guys are location and conscionable nan experiences they’re having and really overmuch nan state is supporting them and we would emotion a spot of that. We’ve benignant of completed nan first step, getting to nan playoffs, and past we’ll look guardant to nan playoffs astatine nan extremity of nan year. We’ll return it measurement by step.”
