Katie McCabe
Katie McCabe vs Wolfsburg at the Emirates in 2023.
Personal information
Full name Katie Alison McCabe[1]
Date of birth (1995-09-21) 21 September 1995 (age 28)
Place of birth Kilnamanagh, Dublin, Ireland
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Position(s) Winger, forward, full-back, wing-back
Team information
Current team
 Arsenal
Number 15
Youth career

Templeogue United FC

St Francis
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2015 Raheny United
2015 Shelbourne
2015– Arsenal 128 (22)
2017 → Glasgow City (loan)
International career‡
2010–2012 Republic of Ireland U17 9 (2)
2012–2014 Republic of Ireland U19 15 (8)
2015– Republic of Ireland 79 (25)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 27 October 2023

Katie Alison McCabe (born 21 September 1995) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for English Women's Super League club Arsenal[2] and captains the Republic of Ireland women's national team. Mainly a left back,[3][4] she can also operate as a left winger[5] and a left midfielder.[6]

As a teenager, McCabe won the Irish Women's National League title twice and the FAI Women's Cup three times with Raheny United before signing with Arsenal in 2015. With Arsenal, she has won the FA Cup in 2016, the 2018–19 WSL, two League Cups, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year for 2021. After earning her first Ireland cap in 2015, she was named the country's captain in 2017, the youngest captain in the history of the team, and named as Ireland Women's Player of the Year in 2021. The Guardian has described her as "the undoubted face of Irish women's football."[7]

Club career

McCabe with Arsenal in 2019

Youth career

Growing up, McCabe played on boys' youth teams for Kilnamanagh AFC and Crumlin United F.C. At the age of 10, she joined her first girls' team in Templeogue, playing for both the girls' team and the boys' team until she turned 13. Her favourite player as a child was Damien Duff.[8] During secondary school, she also played Gaelic football and basketball.[9]

Women's National League: 2011–2015

When the Women's National League (WNL) was formed in 2011, McCabe signed with Raheny United. She had previously trained with the club, but league regulations prevented her from signing a contract until she turned 16. She represented the club in the competition's first season. Over the next three seasons she won two league titles and three consecutive FAI Women's Cups with "The Pandas". She also represented the club in the UEFA Women's Champions League.[10]

She missed four months of the 2013–14 season with a broken leg.[11] That year, she had also been recruited by Florida State University to play for the Florida State Seminoles women's soccer team in the United States, but the move collapsed due to her injury.[12]

In 2014–15 McCabe scored 23 WNL goals for Raheny, two behind top scorer Áine O'Gorman of UCD Waves.[13] In November 2014, she scored the opening goal for Raheny in the FAI Women's Cup final, from a 35-yard free kick, winning her second FAI Cup with the club.[14]

For the 2015–16 season, McCabe remained with the club in their new guise as Shelbourne Ladies.

Arsenal: 2015–2017

McCabe making her Arsenal debut in February 2016

In December 2015 she signed for London club Arsenal,[15] rejecting competing offers from Glasgow City, Chelsea, and Manchester City.[16]

Glasgow City: 2017 (loan)

After struggling with injuries and a lack of first-team playing time in her first year with Arsenal, she joined Glasgow City on loan in August 2017, for the second half of the Scottish Women's Premier League season.[17] She would help lead Glasgow City to the Scottish title as well as making a handful of appearances in the UEFA Champions League.[18]

Return to Arsenal: 2017–present

Upon returning to Arsenal after the end of her loan, new Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro shifted her to the left-full-back position.[19]

In the 2018–19 season, she helped lead Arsenal to the FA WSL title, playing the most minutes of any player on the squad.[20] On 26 March 2019, she signed an extension with Arsenal.[21] Five days later, in one of the last matches of the year, she scored a crucial game-winning goal against Birmingham, keeping Arsenal one point clear on top of the league table.[22]

She scored 5 goals and picked up 12 assists during the 2020–21 FA WSL season as Arsenal finished in third, tied for first in the league in assists and being named to the PFA Team of the Year.[23] In December 2020, she made her 100th appearance for Arsenal in a 4-0 victory over Everton, picking up an assist from the corner on a goal by Jen Beattie.[24][25] Later that month, she was involved in a COVID-19-related controversy after posting a picture of herself on a beach in Dubai despite a travel ban for Tier 4 residents in London. She stated that she had gone to Dubai for a business meeting with her agent.[26] She did not receive any disciplinary sanctions from the FA for the controversy.[27]

Ahead of the 2021–22 FA WSL season, she signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal.[28]

On 20 June 2023, she was announced as Arsenal Women Player of the Season.[29] Her winning goal against Manchester City won Goal of the Season.[30]

On 29 September 2023, McCabe signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal after a stellar 2022-23 campaign. [31]

On 5th November 2023, McCabe had her 200th appearance for the Gunners. [32]

International career

At the 2014 UEFA Under-19 Championship, McCabe featured as Ireland won their group,[33] before crashing 4–0 to a Vivianne Miedema-inspired Netherlands in the semi-final.

In March 2015 national coach Susan Ronan gave McCabe a senior debut against Hungary at the 2015 Istria Cup, a 1–1 draw. A quad injury kept McCabe out of Ireland's 3–0 UEFA Euro 2017 qualifying defeat by Spain on 26 November 2015 at Tallaght Stadium, Dublin.[34] At the 2016 Cyprus Cup, McCabe scored her first international goal to secure a 1–1 draw with Italy.[35]

McCabe featured in Ronan's squad for the UEFA Euro qualifying stage, making seven appearances in total.[36] In August 2017, new national team coach Colin Bell appointed 21-year-old McCabe as the Ireland captain, the youngest captain in the history of the team.[37]

In April 2021, she earned her 50th cap for Ireland against Belgium.[38][39] In September 2021, the FAI announced that it would implement equal pay for its men's and women's national teams, after negotiations led by McCabe and men's captain Séamus Coleman.[40][41]

McCabe and manager Vera Pauw led Ireland to qualify for the 2023 FIFA World Cup, the first major tournament appearance in the team's history.[42] On 26 July 2023 she scored an Olympico goal in their group stage match against Canada, becoming her country's first-ever goal-scorer at the Women's World Cup.[43] Ireland was ultimately defeated by Canada 2–1, eliminating them from the tournament. McCabe said she was saddened by the result, but added that "this is our first ever major tournament and I know for a fact, given those performances we put in, it won’t be our last."[44]

Personal life

McCabe has 9 siblings, 5 sisters and 4 brothers, and was raised in Kilmanagh. Her siblings include Gary McCabe, who played in the League of Ireland Premier Division from 2007 to 2018, and Lauryn McCabe, currently playing for Shamrock Rovers and Ireland U16.[45] [46]

She is openly lesbian.[47][48] In June 2019, she revealed that she is in a relationship with fellow player Ruesha Littlejohn and that women's football is very accepting of LGBT people.[49] The couple split in May 2023.[50]

While she played in the Irish Women's National League, she also worked as a Grill Coordinator at a Nando's in Tallaght.[51]

Career statistics

As of 27 October 2023
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Republic of Ireland 2015 7 0
2016 12 3
2017 10 1
2018 8 3
2019 8 3
2020 5 2
2021 9 3
2022 10 5
2023 12 7
Total 88 29
As of 18 December 2023
Scores and results list Republic of Ireland's goals first. Score column indicates score after each McCabe goal.
International goals scored by Katie McCabe
No. Cap Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 10 4 March 2016 GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus  Italy 1–1 1–1 2016 Cyprus Women's Cup [52]
2 18 21 August 2016 Rodney Parade, Newport, Wales  Wales 1–1 2–1 Friendly [53][a]
3 2–1
4 22 6 March 2017 Paralimni Stadium, Paralimni, Cyprus  Wales 1–0 1–0 2017 Cyprus Women's Cup [54]
5 31 21 January 2018 Estádio de São Miguel, Ponta Delgada, Portugal  Portugal 1–0 3–1 Friendly [55]
6 36 31 August 2018 Tallaght Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland  Northern Ireland 2–0 4–0 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification [56]
7 4–0
8 41 9 April 2019 Mapei Stadium, Reggio Emilia, Italy  Italy 1–0 1–2 Friendly [57]
9 43 3 September 2019 Tallaght Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland  Montenegro 2–0 2–0 UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying [58]
10 44 8 October 2019  Ukraine 1–0 3–2 [59]
11 47 11 March 2020 Stadion pod Malim brdom, Petrovac, Montenegro  Montenegro 2–0 3–0 [60]
12 50 1 December 2020 Tallaght Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland  Germany 1–2 1–3 [61]
13 58 25 November 2021  Slovakia 1–1 1–1 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification [62]
14 59 30 November 2021  Georgia 6–0 11–0 [63]
15 7–0
16 63 12 April 2022 Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden  Sweden 1–0 1–1 [64]
17 65 27 June 2022 Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium, Gori, Georgia  Georgia 1–0 9–0 [65]
18 4–0
19 7–0
20 69 14 November 2022 Marbella Football Center, San Pedro Alcántara, Spain  Morocco 2–0 4–0 Friendly [66]
21 75 26 July 2023 Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth, Australia  Canada 1–0 1–2 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup [67]
22 78 26 September 2023 Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion, Budapest, Hungary  Hungary 2–0 4–0 2023–24 UEFA Nations League [68]
23 79 27 October 2023 Tallaght Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland  Albania 1–0 5–1 [69]
24 2–1
25 5–1
  1. ^ Cap awarded, but goals not counted on FAI profile

Honours

Raheny United[citation needed]

Arsenal[citation needed]

Glasgow City

Individual

References

  1. ^ "UEFA Women's Champions League 2021/2022: Booking List before Quarter-finals, 2nd leg" (PDF). UEFA. 24 March 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Katie McCabe". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Arsenal vs. Manchester City". Women Soccerway. 2 April 2023.
  4. ^ "United States vs. Republic of Ireland". Women Soccerway. 12 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Arsenal vs. Reading". Women Soccerway. 12 March 2023.
  6. ^ "China PR vs. Republic of Ireland". Women Soccerway. 22 February 2023.
  7. ^ Downey, Sophie (19 July 2023). "Katie McCabe embraces support with Ireland poised for World Cup debut". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  8. ^ Moran, Fionnuala (21 August 2019). "Katie McCabe went from asking Santa for Damien Duff's Ireland jersey to earning her own".
  9. ^ Duffy, Emma. "The rise of Katie McCabe, Ireland's youngest-ever captain and world-class Arsenal star". The42.
  10. ^ "Katie McCabe - Rep of Ireland Women". Extratime.ie. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  11. ^ "Sports Person of the Year". The Echo. 18 December 2014. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  12. ^ Larkin, Laura (23 July 2014). "Katie overcomes broken leg to shine as Girls in Green go for UEFA glory". The Herald (Ireland). Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  13. ^ Hooper, Dave (30 April 2015). "UCD Waves guarantee second spot". Football Association of Ireland. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  14. ^ Maher, Gareth (2 November 2014). "Raheny retain FAI Continental Tyres Women's Cup". www.fai.ie. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  15. ^ "Arsenal Ladies sign Katie McCabe from Shelbourne FC". BBC Sport. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  16. ^ Leonard, Stephen (15 January 2016). "Magic McCabe Gunn'-ing for glory with Arsenal". Echo.ie. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Glasgow City: Club land Katie McCabe on loan from Arsenal". BBC Sport. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  18. ^ Roche, Cian. "'I wanted to fall back in love with football at Arsenal' | Katie McCabe". Off The Ball.
  19. ^ "Katie McCabe | In my own words". www.arsenal.com.
  20. ^ Stillman, Tim (6 May 2020). "Left-back but never left out: Arseblog exclusive with Katie McCabe | Arseblog News - the Arsenal news site".
  21. ^ "Ireland captain McCabe signs new contract with Arsenal". 26 March 2019 – via www.rte.ie.
  22. ^ "Katie McCabe hits late winner to keep Arsenal top". 31 March 2019 – via www.rte.ie.
  23. ^ "Katie McCabe's Stellar Season Rewarded With PFA WSL Team Of The Year Inclusion". 9 June 2021.
  24. ^ "Arsenal hammer Everton on McCabe's 100th appearance". 20 December 2020 – via www.rte.ie.
  25. ^ Stillman, Tim (14 December 2020). "'I wanted to be one of those Irish Arsenal legends' Arseblog exclusive interview with Katie McCabe | Arseblog News - the Arsenal news site".
  26. ^ Garry, Tom (23 December 2020). "Katie McCabe claims Dubai beach photograph was taken during business trip". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  27. ^ "FA will not discipline Arsenal Women trio for Dubai trip in tier 4". the Guardian. 6 January 2021.
  28. ^ "McCabe signs new Arsenal contract". BBC Sport. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  29. ^ a b Holbrook, Emma (19 June 2023). "Katie McCabe named 2022/23 Player of the Season". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  30. ^ Holbrook, Emma (13 July 2023). "McCabe strike wins women's Goal of the Season". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  31. ^ "Katie McCabe signs new deal". Katie McCabe signs new deal. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  32. ^ "Katie McCabe issues heartfelt post after reaching rare Arsenal milestone". Katie McCabe issues heartfelt post after reaching rare Arsenal milestone. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  33. ^ Fallon, John (18 July 2014). "McCabe on a mission to make European semi-finals". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  34. ^ Conlon, Padraig (26 November 2015). "Ireland Woman's [sic] Soccer team face Spain in Euro qualifier today in Tallaght Stadium". InTallaght.ie. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  35. ^ "Late McCabe strike earns Ireland a draw against fancied Italy". RTÉ Sport. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  36. ^ UEFA.com. "Katie McCabe - Republic of Ireland - WEURO". UEFA.com.
  37. ^ "Colin Bell confirms Katie McCabe as new Ireland captain". RTÉ Sport. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  38. ^ "Match Preview:50 caps for McCabe as Ireland take on Belgium". 11 April 2021.
  39. ^ "Katie McCabe's road to 50 caps & hopes for so much more". 6 April 2021 – via www.rte.ie.
  40. ^ Cummiskey, Gavin. "Ireland's Katie McCabe continues to fight the good fight on all fronts". The Irish Times.
  41. ^ Tomas, Fiona (31 August 2021). "From getting changed in airport toilets to equal pay in four years: Ireland show progress that can be made through dialogue". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  42. ^ Fleming, Ben (26 July 2023). "Katie McCabe: Ireland captain and Arsenal's player of the season in profile". The Independent. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  43. ^ "Ireland's McCabe scores directly from a corner kick against Canada at Women's World Cup". AP News. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  44. ^ Kelly, David (26 July 2023). "'I know for a fact it won't be our last major tournament' – Katie McCabe 'heartbroken' after World Cup exit". Irish Independent. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  45. ^ Donnelly, Dave (26 December 2015). "Ireland international Katie McCabe signs for Arsenal". Extratime.ie. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  46. ^ Corscadden, Jane (19 July 2023). "Ireland captain Katie McCabe's younger sister Lauryn is a promising footballer in her own right". Irishstar.com. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  47. ^ Moran, Fionnuala (25 June 2020). "How They Met: Football led to love for Katie McCabe and Ruesha Littlejohn".
  48. ^ "Irish captain Katie McCabe reflects on her coming out experience and the inequalities in men's football". GCN. 21 August 2019.
  49. ^ Fallon, John (4 June 2019). "'The women's game is very accepting' - Ireland skipper Katie McCabe publicly confirms relationship with teammate". The Independent.
  50. ^ Cassidy, Emmet (19 July 2023). "Katie McCabe appears to confirm break-up with Ireland teammate Ruesha Littlejohn". BelfastLive. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  51. ^ McCabe, Katie (18 July 2023). "The Story of an Irish Underdog". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  52. ^ "McCabe's wonder goal earns WNT draw with Italy". FAI. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  53. ^ "Late McCabe double secures victory over Wales". FAI. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  54. ^ "Ireland top Group C". FAI. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  55. ^ "Kiernan shines in dominant Portugal victory". FAI. 21 January 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  56. ^ "Kiernan starts in emphatic Northern Ireland win". FAI. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  57. ^ "Strong early start not enough for WNT". FAI. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  58. ^ "Ireland WNT kick-off qualifying campaign with win". FAI. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  59. ^ "Win for Ireland WNT in front of record-breaking crowd". FAI. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  60. ^ "Late goals put shine on Irish victory as Girls in Green go top of Euro qualification group". Irish Independent. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  61. ^ "Ireland 1-3 Germany". FAI. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  62. ^ "WNT 1-1 Slovakie". FAI. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  63. ^ "WNT 11-0 Georgia". FAI. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  64. ^ "Sweden 1-1 WNT". FAI. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  65. ^ "Georgia 0-9". FAI. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  66. ^ "WNT 4-0 Morocco". FAI. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  67. ^ "Canada 2-1 WNT". FAI. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  68. ^ "Hungary 0-4 WNT". FAI. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  69. ^ "WNT 5-1 Albania". FAI. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  70. ^ Sanders, Emma (5 March 2023). "Arsenal 3–1 Chelsea: Gunners fight back to win Women's League Cup final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  71. ^ "McCabe crowned 20/21 Women's Player of the Season". Arsenal F.C. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  72. ^ Galvin, TJ (15 November 2022). "Katie McCabe and Josh Cullen secure Ireland Player of the Year awards". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  73. ^ "Barclays FA Women's Super League: Standout stars of the first half". womenscompetitions.thefa.com. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  74. ^ Holbrook, Emma (12 May 2023). "McCabe rocket wins WSL Goal of the Month". McCabe rocket wins WSL Goal of the Month. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  75. ^ "Arsenal: Katie McCabe wins WSL player of the month as head coach Jonas Eidevall wins manager award for October". Sky Sports. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2024.

External links

Arsenal W.F.C. – current squad
Awards
Republic of Ireland squad – 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Categories