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Vivianne Miedema is the top-scoring forward for the Dutch national team at this year’s Women’s World Cup. Through six matches, she has tallied three goals, including a pair in the 3-1 victory over Cameroon in the Group Stage.
Now, the Netherlands finds itself in the final against the favored United States Sunday at the Grande Stade Olympique Lyonnais (11 a.m. Eastern time, Fox). One person sure to cheering Miedema and her Oranje Leeuwinnen teammates is her girlfriend Lisa Evans.
The two have also been teammates for Arsenal just 30 minutes north of London. While Miedema affiliates with the Netherlands, Evans plays internationally for Scotland.
Here’s what you need to know about Evans, as well as her relationship with Miedema.
1. The Two Met as Teammates for Bayern Munich in 2015 & Started Dating in 2016
According to the Dutch site Spelersvrouw, Miedema and Evans met as teammates for Bayern Munich’s female club. Per a Google Translation of the article, the “spark broke” in 2016, meaning that they started seeing each other off the pitch.
Miedema is more the elite scorer, scoring 35 goals in 61 caps, while Evans was a versatile cog in the lineup. The 27-year-old Scot has played winger, forward and fullback in her career.
Gay Star News reports that Miedema revealed she is in a relationship in “an adorable video where she answers questions posed by children.” The two also share a love for Harry Potter.
In that video, Miedema talked about how men’s football “should take a leaf” out of the women’s playbook on accepting same-sex relationships.
“This must be done very soon and must also be accepted,” she said, “because we are living in 2019 and I think we’re already past that.”
They decided to commit to Arsenal at almost the same time. In a press release by the Arsenal website, they agreed to contracts just days apart.
“I’m delighted she’s signed a new contract,” Evans said. “Without a doubt. I’m absolutely delighted that she’s chosen to sign.
“You can see how important she’s been this season especially, how vital she’s been for her goals. We want top players to be at this club and we want to bring other top players in. That’s the most important thing.”
In Dec. 2018, they interviewed each other for a social video on the Arsenal Facebook page about why they stayed.
2. Evans is a Partner With UEFA’s Youtube Channel #WePlayStrong
Europe’s governing body for soccer launched the Youtube Channel #WePlayStrong in Jan. 2019, inking female soccer players to act as content creators. Evans joined forces with Shanice Van de Sanden of Olympique Lyonnais, Juventus player Petronella Ekroth, Real Madrid player Eunice Beckmann, FFC Frankfurt player Laura Feiersinger and Sarah Zadrazil of Turbine Potsdam.
The goal of the channel, according to Griffin Ward of Gilt Edge Soccer, is to “grow girl’s and women’s soccer across its member organization through a variety of original digital content.” He also points out that the digital presence was launched in the wake of the seven-year sponsorship deal UEFA signed with Visa.
Evans includes Miedema in many of her videos, as well as her Scottish teammates at the 2019 World Cup. She did a blind taste testing challenge with Miedema and fellow Arsenal teammate Emma Mitchell. You can hear Evans affectionately call Miedema “babe” a few times.
3. They Live in an Apartment Together 30 Minutes North of London
One of Evans’ other social videos included a guided tour of her apartment that she shares with Miedema. It’s a humorous take on MTV’s Cribs, and since Miedema was not expecting to be on camera, she appears to be very grumpy throughout the clip.
Arsenal plays in Meadow Park up in Borehamwood, which is on the London commuter belt. Miedema talked in a Dutch interview about how she and Evans are able to play together despite being so close off the pitch.
“When you’re on the pitch, you don’t really think about it,” she said. “Yeah, she’s a really good footballer…she sometimes gives me the assist. So we talk about football a lot and that’s a really special thing to share with each other.”
4. Evans Grew up in Perth, Scotland Before Joining Glasgow City as a Teenager
Lisa Catherine Evans was born on May 21, 1992 in Perth, Scotland. According to the Evening Telegraph, she grew up playing the sport on the Perthshire public parks and school playgrounds.
By 2008 at age 16, Evans was participating for the Glasgow City club’s reserve team. By 2009, she had made the first team, according to Scotzine.
Her first season when she helped the Reserve team to win the women’s 2nd Division with a 100% record and the SWF League Cup was sensational. 2009 saw Lisa come back from a lengthy injury and make her first team debut. In 2010, Lisa established herself as a regular starter and won her first Premier League title.
In 2011, she earned the Young Player of the Year honor for the club. Her time in Scotland led to a look at Turbine Potsdam in Germany. Her nine goals in 49 caps led to her opportunity at Bayern Munich.
However, she never forgot her Scottish roots. She has run a Soccer Centre in Forfar, a town near Angus. The website reads:
“The Lisa Evans sessions started in 2017, with the aim to provide an extra session for girls to attend to learn new skills, make new friends and enjoy playing the sport they love in a friendly environment.”
5. Evans Made Her First Women’s World Cup This Year
Evans made her Scottish national team debut in 2011, according to The Guardian. By Feb. 2012, she had scored her first international goal in a 5-1 friendly victory over Northern Ireland.
Overall, she has netted 17 goals in 79 caps for the national team. Despite in injury earlier this year, she recovered in time to make the roster for her first Women’s World Cup. According to the BBC, she scored an important game-winning goal against Poland in World Cup qualifying to help Scotland win the group.
Scotland failed to advance past the Group Stage after a pair of 2-1 losses to England and Japan, as well as a 3-3 tie to Argentina. Evans failed to record a goal in any of the contests.
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