Hayes signs off with more WSL glory
Emma Hayes ended her 12-year stint as Chelsea boss on a high after guiding the Blues to another WSL title amid heavy pressure from Manchester City.
Goodbyes do not get much better than securing a seventh league title on the last day of the season with an emphatic 6-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Fairytale stuff.
Hayes’ full list of honours with the club ended with seven WSL titles, five FA Cups, two Continental Cups, the Spring Series and a Community Shield.
Not to mention how close she came to securing the final piece to the puzzle, after suffering defeat to Barcelona in the 2020/21 Women’s Champions League final.
Her career has now come full circle after returning to America with the United States National Women’s Team (USWNT), where her time as a coach began back in New York with the Long Island Lady Riders 22-years ago.
Hayes took control of USWNT on the back of their worst World Cup performance of all time – an exit in the last 16 – but has already overseen a major transformation.
With just a few months of preparation before the Paris Olympics began in July, Hayes guided her side to gold in France and has also improved her work-life balance off the pitch alongside her early success in the new role.
Speaking ahead of the friendly against England, which ended in a 0-0 draw in November, Hayes said: “I don’t have to sacrifice the things that made me healthy. I didn’t feel healthy at the end, I actually felt unwell at the end of my time at Chelsea.
“It wasn’t pressure, it was the stress and toll it took on me and doing that during menopause was even harder.
“To get on top of all of those things, I’ve got my mojo back and my smile and enjoyment back which I didn’t realise I had lost.”
