When Katie McCabe joined Arsenal from Shelbourne in 2015, she recalls the lasting advice given to her by another famous Republic of Ireland player who similarly made their name in north London.
It was Robbie Keane, who told her: “You’re Irish, always remember you’re Irish when you’re over there.”
At the time, she never quite grasped what the ex-Tottenham Hotspur striker meant. Eight years on, she understands.
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“I always keep hold of that I’m Irish here, you know what I mean?” says the 28-year-old from Kilnamanagh in south Dublin. “It’s about your identity and not to forget where you came from, which I don’t. I’ve not lost my accent… yet.”
When McCabe, who is one of 11 siblings, returns home to her family, they joke that she has a “posh St Albans twang”. If she does, it is hard to decipher during a one-hour chat.
Like many of her Arsenal team-mates, McCabe lives in St Albans — a small, historic city in Hertfordshire — because it’s close to London Colney where the squad train.
It is here where McCabe can go about her daily life with the dose of normality not always afforded to her as one of the Women’s Super League’s (WSL) most recognisable figures. After captaining Ireland to their first World Cup in the summer and being the face of their debut tournament, her level of fame has ramped up. If there were football fans in Ireland not familiar with her name before the World Cup, they are now.
McCabe’s ‘Olimpico’ goal (scored directly from a corner) in Ireland’s second group stage game against Canada in Perth made sure of that.
KATIE MCCABE SCORES DIRECTLY FROM A CORNER ☘️
The captain scores #IRL's first-ever goal at a #FIFAWWC… and it is nothing short of magic! pic.twitter.com/9d7ZqTAl5q
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 26, 2023
“If you had told me that was how I was going to score my first goal at a World Cup, I wouldn’t have believed you,” McCabe says.
If you had told her family, friends, team-mates or fans, they would have believed it. Scoring from a corner is the kind of thing a player like McCabe does. Her moments of genius are no longer surprising.
McCabe received a Ballon d’Or nomination in September. She is the first Irish woman to be nominated and the first Irish player since Roy Keane in 2000 to be among the nominees. Spain’s World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati received the award on Monday night in Paris.
“It doesn’t feel real, to be honest,” she says. “When Jonas (Eidevall, Arsenal’s manager) told me before our Champions League game in Sweden, I didn’t know whether I was getting called in because I wasn’t going to play or something. He said a lot of kind words and how proud he was. It did take me by surprise because being from Ireland, a Dublin girl, you don’t get nominated for the Ballon d’Or.”
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The left-back, midfielder and occasional winger is not just one of the most versatile and gifted footballers who appeared on the nominations list, but also one of the most entertaining. She is no stranger to a hard tackle, “argy-bargy” or a yellow card. Since making her WSL debut in April 2016, no player has received more yellow cards than McCabe (25).
“It’s not the worst,” she says, digesting the numbers. “One red card. That was against (Manchester) United about two years ago, which I still feel wasn’t a red card.”
One of her more memorable yellow cards was the one she picked up last season in a 2-1 win over Manchester City in April. McCabe scored the winner having spent the majority of the game on a booking she picked up in the 10th minute. The strike with her left foot was voted the WSL’s goal of the season.
“Going from throwing the ball off Chloe Kelly’s head to scoring the winner, it was quite the game,” McCabe says watching the scene back. “That annoyed me, she didn’t kick me the ball.”
With City leading 1-0 by that point, Arsenal won a throw and Kelly refused to pass the ball to McCabe, who reacted by pushing the ball into Kelly’s head, something she tried to conceal as an attempt to throw the ball.
“Some of what I’ve seen back over the years I’m like, ‘Why did I do that?’ But you’re honestly just fuelled in the moment, the adrenaline going. It’s a matter of: you’ll do anything to win. There’s been a few where I’m like, ‘I shouldn’t have done that…’ Take the Chloe Kelly incident, for example.”
After the game, McCabe says she hugged it out with her former Arsenal team-mate.
#RefWatch on the Katie McCabe-Chloe Kelly clash 👀🔍 pic.twitter.com/ufSpCK6XHw
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) April 3, 2023
“I’m nice off the pitch, I’m relaxed,” McCabe says. “(On the pitch) I don’t go out and think, ‘Who am I going to hurt today?’ I have never done that in my career. I never want to injure a player.
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“I’m competitive and, in having that competitive mindset and drive, I want to win the ball and challenge hard. I want to play hard. I want to play fast.
“It’s a joy to play against some of the best wingers in the league. They only make you better. You have to be on your A-game against them.”
McCabe is in the running for another goal of the season award for 2023-24. Her three goals for Arsenal have all been archetypal McCabe stunners.
“There’s a feeling you get when the ball is coming and it’s just wanting to be hit. It’s like they say, it’s rude not to hit it. I’ve always had a lot of power in terms of the strength in my legs and the long rangers end up going in, which is a good thing. I’ve scored more of them than (goals) in the six-yard box.”
During the week, McCabe makes sure to hit her exercise, nutrition and sleep goals, but she approaches every match differently after a conversation with retired Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech.
“He said he prepared for every game differently because every game brings something different and I always remembered that,” she says.
Part of her preparation is tucking her shirt in — she says it makes her feel ready to go or she uses it to reset during games. For example, if she overhits a pass she will pull her shirt out and tuck it back in to restart.
“You’ll pick up on that now,” she says.
McCabe on duty for Ireland at the World Cup (Colin Murty/AFP via Getty Images)Last month, McCabe signed a new Arsenal deal which shut down speculation regarding her future, and now her 16-year-old sister Lauryn has her eyes on following McCabe to the London club.
“She’s constantly on the phone to me, texting me, always wanting to learn, which is really nice. Her vision is to be a professional footballer and follow in my footsteps. I’ve no doubt with the attitude, application and hard work, she can go on and achieve that.
“They have a great setup (at Shamrock Rovers) but we’ll try to get her over to Arsenal maybe,” she laughs. “She’s got ambitions to represent Arsenal for sure, but she’s got to do the hard yards back home first and keep her head down with Ireland (under-17s).”
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On the possibility of one day playing for the national team with her sister, McCabe says: “My mam and dad would cry their eyes out if we are both walking out for Ireland at the same time.”
For now it is the older McCabe sister who continues not just to walk out for Ireland but run and run. Her recent hat-trick and two assists in a 5-1 win over Albania during the recent international break are proof of that.
This is a player in the best form of her career although, with McCabe, you always sense there is still another gear for her to shift into.
GO DEEPER
My game in my words. By Arsenal's Katie McCabe
(Top photo: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images; design: Sam Richardson)
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