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Lionesses of England coach Sarina Wiegman is the only coach in history to be awarded The Best FIFA Women’s Coach of The Year three times and here's all you need to know about her.
Sarina Wiegman’s rise in women’s football management has been lauded as one of the most impressive so far in the 21st century.
The Three Lionesses of England coach has enjoyed massive success with the defending European champions since taking up the role in September 2021.
Prior to her England job, Wiegman had managed a the Dutch women’s national team, winning the UEFA Women’s Championship in 2017, before losing out to the United States in the final of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
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In 2017, Wiegman was awarded The Best FIFA Women's Coach title at that year's The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony, ahead of Denmark coach Nils Nielsen and Lyon coach Gérard Prêcheur.
Two days later, she was awarded as a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau at a ceremony which saw the entire European Championship-winning team receive the same honour.
Wiegman has earned plaudits for her managerial style and ability to quickly impact teams with her philosophy.
Wiegman’s resilient mentality has now seen England go all the way to the finals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia, as the Lionesses battle Spain in this year’s finale.
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She has also been touted to take up the role of managing the England men’s team in the event of a vacancy in the nearer future.
In this article, Pulse Sports will reveal the top facts about England women’s coach Sarina Wiegman.
9 things to know about Sarina Wiegman
1. Who is Sarina Wiegman?
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Sarina Petronella Wiegman also known as Sarina Wiegman-Glotzbach, is a Dutch football manager and former player who has been the manager of the England women's national team since September 2021.
In her 38 matches as England manager, she has won 30 games, drawn 7 times and lost just once, on the occasion of her 31st match as England manager for the first time in a friendly game against Australia.
Before her role as England manager, Wiegman had been the coach of the Netherlands national team for over four years.
2, Sarina Wiegman Age
Sarina Wiegman was born on 26 October, 1969 in Hague, Netherlands.
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She also has a twin brother named Tom Wiegman.
As of August 2023, Sarina Wiegman is 53 years old.
3. She is a former captain of the Netherlands
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Sarina Wiegman gained 104 caps for the Netherlands, scoring three goals, between 1987 and 2001. She also captained the team.
In 1986, at the age of 16, Wiegman was first selected for the Netherlands.
The following year, after she turned 17, she made her debut in an away match against Norway.
She played at the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament, where the Netherlands reached the quarter-finals.
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Wiegman also helped the Netherlands reach the quarter-finals of the 1989, 1991 and 1993 European Championships, although they never reached the final tournament of an official World Cup or European Championship.
In April 2001, Wiegman gained her 100th cap in a home friendly against Denmark, becoming the first Dutch footballer to do so.
Two days later, she was honoured with a shield awarded by the men's head coach Louis van Gaal.
During his speech, he said: "I have a lot of respect for Sarina. For the men, everything is arranged. Here, this is much more difficult."
Wiegman played her final international game on 14 June 2001, a 2–0 away defeat against the Czech Republic.
However, it was later revealed that five of her caps were against non-FIFA affiliated opponents, so her official cap total now stands at 99.
4. She played as central midfielder before she became a defender
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In her playing career, Wiegman started out as a central midfielder before moving to defence.
In 1989, she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she played for the North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team.
Returning to the Netherlands, she joined the women's team of Ter Leede, but had to work another job as a physical education teacher, while playing football, because at the time, all women's players had to work aside from football.
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With Ter Leede, she won the Dutch championship and the KNVB Cup once.
In 2003, she retired as a professional footballer after becoming pregnant with her second child.
5. She is the only coach to have won The Best FIFA Women’s Coach of The Year award 3 times
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Sarina Wiegman has won the The Best FIFA Women’s Coach of The Year award a record three times.
In October 2017, Wiegman was awarded The Best FIFA Women's Coach title as Netherlands coach at that year's The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony, ahead of Denmark coach Nils Nielsen and Lyon coach Gérard Prêcheur.
After securing qualification for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, Wiegman led the Netherlands to the final of the tournament, in which they were defeated 0–2 by the United States.
The team again received praise for their style of play on the way to the final.
In July 2019, it was announced that a likeness of Wiegman would be added to the statue garden of the Dutch Football Association, KNVB, for her contributions to Dutch football.
She was the first woman to receive this honour, before winning the The Best FIFA Women's Coach award the following year.
In February 2023, Wiegman was awarded the The Best FIFA Women's Coach for 2022 making it her third time of winning the award, the most by any coach.
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She became the only coach to have won the award more than once having managed England to victory in the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 final with a 2–1 victory against Germany at Wembley Stadium.
6. She won the Euros with two different countries
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Following her appointment as Netherlands manager in 2016, Sarina Wiegman was appointed head coach six months before the start of the UEFA Women's Euro 2017, for which the Netherlands had automatically qualified as hosts.
However, the team had lost four out of their previous five friendly matches, and morale was low.
Wiegman subsequently worked on improving players' confidence and on a change in playing style to more attacking football.
At the European Championship, the Netherlands won every match, and ultimately cruised to a 4–2 victory over Denmark in the final.
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Wiegman became the second Dutch coach to lead the national team to a major honour, after Rinus Michels at the men's UEFA Euro 1988.
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Sarina Wiegman also steered England to victory in the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 final against Germany at Wembley Stadium.
She became the fourth manager – all women's – to retain the Euros title and the first to win the tournament with two different countries, having coached her native Netherlands to the title in 2017.
7. She won 5 trophies as a club manager
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As a manager in club football Sarina Wiegman picked up five trophies in her 8-year spell in Netherlands.
With Ter Leede, she won the Dutch championship and KNVB Cup in the 2006-07 season.
With ADO Den Haag Women, she won the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup in the 2011-12 season, before going on to retain the Cup the following season.
8. Sarina Wiegman husband
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Sarina Wiegman is currently married to Marten Glotzbach and the couple are blessed with two beautiful daughters, Sacha and Lauren, although the couple often keep their children out of the spotlight.
According to Hello Magazine, Marten is an economics professor teaching at the Sebroek College in Sarina's home country of the Netherlands.
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He also helps plan football matches for the education institute's football teams. Marten started his career at Host Broadcast Services (HBS), which films major sporting events, where he worked as a youth trainer and coordinator.
Although he studied economics, he decided to move into the sporting world by taking several training courses in order to become a qualified football coach, and he has worked alongside his wife when she was the head coach for both the Dutch and the England women's football teams.
9. Sarina Wiegman Social Media
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Sarina Wiegman is one of the most-followed female football coaches on social media.
As of August 2023, Wiegman boasts over 144,000 followers on her Instagram account.
On her Twitter account, she has over 11,000 followers, although, she has not been active on the Elon Musk-owned platform for over two years.
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