Vivianne Miedema: Arsenal's reluctant superstar who tore up the record books

With a casual swish of her left boot, Vivianne Miedema wrote her name into the Women's Super League (WSL) history books.

The date was October 18, 2020 and the Arsenal forward's cool finish against Tottenham Hotspur had seen her surpass Ellen White to become the division's all-time leading goalscorer. Her celebration - a single fist pump - was understated but not unexpected.

At that point, three years into her stay at Meadow Park, she had already cemented her status as Arsenal's reluctant superstar; a player whose celestial brilliance on the pitch was totally at odds with her aloof demeanour off it. But, in spite of her steadfast commitment to being the WSL's most unconventional poster girl, the outpouring of emotion that has greeted the news of her impending Arsenal exit is proof enough of the peerless legacy she will leave behind in north London.

The club confirmed on Monday that Miedema is set to depart when her contract expires this summer, with the 27-year-old already linked with a move to WSL rivals Manchester City. It is a fact that would have seemed inconceivable less than two years ago and yet it, in recent months, there has been a sense that it was only a matter of time before the forward headed for the exit door.

Since joining the Gunners from Bayern Munich in 2017, Miedema has provided an incredible 125 goals and 50 assists in 172 appearances. She was the driving force behind Arsenal's WSL title triumph in 2018-19 and has also contributed to three Continental League Cup successes.

She has twice won the WSL Golden Boot and has three times been named in the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Team of the Year. Her list of accolades is extensive and yet she is a player whose impact cannot simply be distilled into goals scored and trophies won.

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Her time at Arsenal has straddled two eras of the women's game; one of almost imperceptible, steady growth and the other of rapid explosion. In her first season at the club, she was regularly playing in front of less than 1,000 fans at Borehamwood. This term, the Gunners have contested more than half of their home games at a packed-out Emirates Stadium.

Away from the pitch, too, she has made an indelible mark, speaking with a refreshing candidness about her relationship with teammate Beth Mead and becoming an unflinching advocate of Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness of the discrimination faced by those in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Her influence on the field has diminished over the last two seasons, with the forward having ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in November 2022. But, while she has struggled to re-find her best form since returning from injury last October, her honest approach to her recovery has resonated deeply within the women's football community, with Miedema even teaming up with Mead to release a documentary, 'Step by Step', charting their respective ACL journeys.

"One of the reasons we wanted to do this documentary was so the next generation won't be scared of injuring their ACL, because help exists," she told Sky Sports. "The next step we need to make is getting young girls more prepared to come into pro football. So far it's not been a priority but I think it should be top of the list."

It is that forthrightness, as well as her innate footballing brilliance, that will be missed in north London, although the consensus from both parties is that this is the right time for Miedema's Arsenal goodbye. "For now it's time to move on," the striker wrote in a heartfelt letter to supporters on Monday. "My time at Arsenal will be forever with me and I'm grateful for all the special memories."

At just 27 years old, Miedema still has ample time to make plenty of new memories elsewhere. Arsenal have evolved away from playing to her tactical strengths under manager Jonas Eidevall, who instead prefers to employ a more physical striker to implement his intense counterpressing style.

However, that does not mean Miedema is lacking the ingredients to thrive elsewhere and, should the Netherlands international recover even an ounce of her best form, Arsenal may live to regret their decision not to offer her a new contract. Sometimes, in football as in life, you don't know what you have until it's gone and, for the Gunners, Miedema's departure might just hammer that sentiment home.

But, though her Arsenal curtain call may not be the rousing finale that her talent deserves, memories of her show-stopping spell as the Gunners' leading lady will continue to resonate for years to come.