Olivia Smith continued her remarkable rise on Tuesday as she was crowned the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Women’s Young Player of the Year, Afrosport reports.
The 21-year-old made headlines earlier this summer when she joined Arsenal from Liverpool in a record-breaking £1 million move – the highest transfer fee in women’s football history.
Smith, who scored nine goals in 20 matches in the Women’s Super League (WSL) last season, is also the first foreign player to claim the award.
She pipped Chelsea trio Aggie Beever-Jones, Maika Hamano and Weikie Kaptein, Manchester United’s Grace Clinton, and Manchester City’s Mary Fowler to the accolade.
“This genuinely means the world to me, knowing that no other foreigner has won this award,” the Canadian told BBC Sport
“Whenever I go home it’s so cool to see the girls that are inspired by me, and being a role model they look up to is massive for me and a huge privilege. I want this to help other girls and boys.”
It was also a big night for Smith’s new Arsenal team-mate Mariona Caldentey, who took home the PFA Women’s Player of the Year award.
The 29-year-old joined the Gunners from Barcelona in July 2024 and made a huge impact in her debut season, scoring 19 goals across all competitions. Nine of those came in the WSL, alongside five assists.
Caldentey edged out competition from Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo, Manchester City duo Mary Fowler and Yui Hasegawa, Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert and Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
Her form helped Arsenal finish second in the WSL, while she was also voted the league’s Player of the Year by fans. On the European stage, Caldentey played the full 90 minutes in the Gunners’ dramatic 1-0 Champions League final victory over Barcelona.
The Spain international also featured in the WSL Team of the Year, voted for by fellow players, with Arsenal providing four representatives in total.
Emily Fox, Kim Little and Russo joined Caldentey in the XI, alongside Manchester United trio Tullis-Joyce, Maya Le Tissier and Jayde Riviere; Chelsea’s Millie Bright and Erin Cuthbert; and Manchester City pair Hasegawa and Fowler.
Full list of PFA Award winners
Mariona Caldentey – Women’s Player of the Year
Olivia Smith – Women’s Young Player of the Year
WSL Team of the Year
Goalkeeper: Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United)
Defenders:Emily Fox (Arsenal), Maya Le Tissier and Jayde Riviere (Manchester United), Millie Bright (Chelsea)
Midfielders: Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City), Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea), Kim Little (Arsenal)
Forwards: Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Arsenal), Mary Fowler (Manchester City)
