She’s not loud. She’s not flashy. She won’t perform for the cameras or seek the spotlight. But give Kim Little a football, and her skill does all the talking.
There’s something poetic about the way she plays. Her sharp turns, delicate touches, and passes that split defences like thread through a needle. She’s a player who reads the game two steps ahead, making every moment on the pitch look effortless, while rarely putting a foot wrong.
Off the pitch? Polite. Humble. Understated.
On it? Ice cold. Ruthless. The kind of player teammates adore and opponents dread.
For nearly two decades, Kim Little has been the heartbeat of every team she’s played for. From her early days in Aberdeen at Hibernian Ladies to dazzling displays on the world stage with Arsenal, Scotland, Seattle Reign, and Melbourne City, she has led with quiet authority and world-class talent.
But how did Kim Little get here?
At 16, she was starting for Hibernian. By 17, scoring for Scotland. By 18, pulling the strings at Arsenal. And by her early 20s, she was already the player other players watched.
When the WSL launched in 2011, Little was front and centre. During Arsenal’s early dominance, Little racked up titles like loyalty points – three WSL trophies, two FA Cups, three League Cups. In her debut WSL season, she delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 9 goals and providing 11 assists in just 14 matches. She made the game look effortless — scoring like a striker, creating chances with vision and precision, and tracking back to defend. A true one-woman midfield engine, she dictated play from box to box.
After making her mark in England, Little ventured across the Atlantic to Seattle in 2014.
Where most players take time to adjust to new surroundings, Kim Little took to Seattle Reign like a duck to water. She fit into their team dynamic seamlessly, becoming a crucial cog in their mechanics.
In her debut season with Seattle Reign, she scored 16 goals in 23 games, won the league MVP, the Golden Boot, and the Players’ Player of the Year. She led Reign to back-to-back finals and left an imprint so strong, fans still talk about her like she never left.
“Kim’s the best player I’ve ever played with.”
That’s not a small statement to make. But this is how Megan Rapinoe once described Kim Little. Olympic gold medalist, World Cup winner, legend of the game. Yet she was in awe of Kim Little.
Seattle adored her. The rest of the league feared her. And then, just like that, she was gone — off in pursuit of new challenges, leaving behind only echoes of brilliance.
Halfway across the world, Kim found her next challenge in Australia. On loan to Melbourne City for the debut W-League season, Little once again hit the ground running. She was named Player of the match in her very first game and went on to score 9 goals in just 12 appearances.
She helped Melbourne complete a perfect season. Another league. Another continent. Another trophy. Same Kim – always consistent, always impactful.
However, it’s not always been plain sailing.
In 2017, Kim ruptured her ACL during training – an injury that has been known to end careers. Then came a fractured fibula in 2018. And in 2019, a knee problem kept her out of the World Cup. A tournament she had helped Scotland reach, only to miss out.
It was one setback after another.
But Little doesn’t do self-pity. She does the work. Quietly. Efficiently. Professionally. No excuse, just hard work and determination. Within months, she was always back on the pitch, dictating games like she never left.
Amid injuries, London called – Arsenal wanted their midfield maestro to come home.
With an offer she couldn’t refuse, Kim Little returned to Arsenal in 2017. By now the game had evolved. It was bigger and louder than before – but Kim remained the same as always – composed, consistent, reliable.
She led Arsenal to the 2018–19 WSL title, their first in seven years, while clocking up her 100th club goal along the way. She passed 150 senior international caps for Scotland, before retiring from international football in 2021. She scored crucial goals in North London derbies. She commanded Champions League midfields with calm authority, dictating the tempo and controlling the game with effortless composure.
Little’s career has been defined by consistency and impact. Across her two spells at Arsenal, she has amassed over 200 appearances, scoring more than 85 goals—a remarkable tally for a midfielder. Her time in the United States with Seattle Reign saw her net 32 goals in 63 matches, earning her the Golden Boot and MVP award in her debut season. Even in Australia, she wasted no time making her mark, scoring 9 goals in just 12 games for Melbourne City, helping them secure a perfect season.
Her international career with Scotland was equally prolific, with 140 caps and 59 goals, making her one of the country’s all-time leading scorers. She also earned a coveted spot on Team GB at the Olympics — a fiercely competitive achievement, with top talent from England, Scotland, and Wales all vying for limited places on the squad.
Beyond the sheer numbers, her penalty conversion rate stands at an astonishing 90.57%, a testament to her composure under pressure. Whether dictating play in midfield or stepping up for a crucial spot-kick, Little has always delivered.
Despite the success, one trophy still eluded her until May 2025. In a dramatic Champions League campaign, Arsenal fought for every inch of the contest. But they fought smart—with Kim Little at the core of it all.
In the final in Lisbon, she put on a masterclass: 90% pass completion, 8 recoveries, and exemplifying calm under pressure. And when the whistle blew, and Arsenal were crowned Champions of Europe for the first time in over 17 years, Kim Little finally got the medal that had long been missing from her cabinet.
But Kim Little’s career is more than her technical brilliance. Her journey has been fuelled by her resilience, determination and quiet leadership. Through it all, Little has never craved the spotlight, but it finds her anyway.
Over 350 career appearances. More than 150 goals from midfield. Countless trophies spanning three continents. MVP honours, Golden Boots, league titles, captain’s armbands. And now, at last, a Champions League winner.
If she chose to hang up her boots tomorrow, who could fault her? The record books, the silverware, and the memories etched into the minds of those who cherish the game all echo the same truth: Kim Little has done it all — and she’s done it entirely on her own terms.
