NewsFactfile: Eight things to know about Olivia Smith
Olivia Smith has become Liverpool FC Women's first recruit of the summer transfer window, bolstering Matt Beard's attacking ranks.
The Canada forward completed her switch to the Reds from Sporting CP on Tuesday, subject to international clearance.
Here's all you need to know about the squad's new No.11...
She made waves in Portugal. Smith arrives at Liverpool after a brilliant solitary season in Portugal's Campeonato Nacional Feminino. The 19-year-old was named the league's Best Young Player and Revelation Player, having scored 13 goals and produced nine assists from 18 appearances as her team narrowly finished runners-up to Benfica. Smith made the move to Portugal last summer after representing Penn State University.
A record-breaker for Canada. Smith remains her country's youngest-ever player after making her senior debut on the international stage in November 2019 at the age of just 15 years and 94 days. A month later, she was named Canadian Young Player of the Year. Smith is also Canada's second-best international youth goalscorer with 24 goals. She earned a place in their squad for last year's Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, making one appearance off the bench in the competition. She continues to make encouraging strides for her nation and received the Young Player of the Tournament prize at the recent Concacaf W Gold Cup.
She's a versatile, attack-minded player. Smith has the ability to play as a midfielder but believes she's now found the position best suited to her skillset. "I have to say, since I've been here [at Sporting], the right wing is kind of my spot," she revealed. "I love taking players on one-v-one facing up but even [with] my physicality and speed to get by players. So, I definitely think left or right wing, but mainly right wing is where I've been playing a lot and been the best in."
Her national team boss is full of praise. Canada head coach Bev Priestman recently said: "She comes into this environment, she's fearless. What we see now is she's a true footballer. She has the ability to understand the game, play the technical part of the game – and that's still evident today. Sometimes, as you go through your career, you can lose a bit of that… but that true football brain and technical ability is a big part of her game."
One of her goals made headlines. Back in February, Smith opened the scoring for Sporting in a match with Valadares Gaia in spectacular fashion. Catching the opposition off-guard with a quick free-kick, Smith received the ball from all of 30 yards out and rifled it into the top corner. "Goal of my career," she said. "That's going to be hard to top unless I hit a crazy bicycle kick or something." It ended up taking the No.6 spot on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 plays that day.
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Taekwondo helped her football. Smith began playing football at the age of three but it was one of many different sports she was juggling, including martial arts. She recalled: "I really enjoyed the fighting and stuff! But I ended up choosing soccer in the long run and it's probably the best decision I've ever made. I definitely think [taekwondo] is where a lot of my technique and power comes from, so thank you taekwondo for that!"
Her footballing idols. Smith has long looked up to Marta – six-time The Best FIFA Women's Player and Brazil legend – who she shared the pitch with on her record-breaking international debut. She also counts Christine Sinclair and Ronaldinho as inspirations.
She is LFC Women's second Canadian player. Smith will now follow in the footsteps of Rylee Foster, who was a Red for three seasons between 2020 and 2023.
This article has been automatically translated and, while all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, some errors in translation are possible. Please refer to the original English-language version of the article for the official version.