At only 24 years old, Vivianne Miedema has added yet another title to her already storied career. On Monday, the Women’s Super League FA announced the Dutch striker was voted Barclays Player of the Month for the month of October.

Miedema scored 6 goals last month, including a first-half hat-trick in a game against Tottenham on October 18 that tipped her over the WSL’s previous goal-scoring record with a total of 52 goals — in only 50 WSL appearances! — for an unmatched rate of one goal scored every 83 minutes of soccer played. She also claims the title of being the Netherlands all-time leading goal scorer, with 69 goals in 89 appearances.

“It feels like I’m achieving what I’ve wanted to achieve and that motivates me to be a better player than I am right now,” said Miedema in an interview with the Guardian’s Suzy Wrack. “Until a year ago I didn’t even know what GOAT [greatest of all time] meant, I was like: ‘It’s not really nice for people to call me a goat. It’s not the best animal to be.’ And then Lisa had to explain what it actually meant. But, as I said, although I’m not too bothered by individual prizes or records, you feel appreciated and every single person or player would benefit from that.”

Lisa Evans, Miedema’s partner and teammate, has played a big part in her rising star and keeping each other in top shape both physically and emotionally after an uncertain six months in lockdown. “I’ve never enjoyed running, I’ve never enjoyed the gym, even before, but I have enjoyed lockdown,” Miedema told the Guardian. “It was easy for us because it was Lisa and me together and we could play a bit of football, we could run, we went on hikes, we went on walks. It was a bit of a mix, but it opened my eyes.”

Miedema and Evans first became teammates in spring 2015 when Evans transferred to Miedema’s former team, Bayern Munich, and the two began dating by 2016. When Miedema was tapped to play for Arsenal in 2017, she was reunited with her girlfriend in London after only a month apart, when Evans was also signed by Arsenal.

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