Taekwondo, stats and £1m record - the rise of Arsenal striker Smith
August 26, 2026 07:16
Olivia Smith, 22, has emerged as one of women's football's most talked-about forwards after a sequence of high-profile moves and milestones. Arsenal signed her from Liverpool in what the coverage describes as a world-record transfer last year; she had moved to Liverpool the season before for a club-record fee.
Smith has already attracted international attention: she made her senior Canada debut at 15 and, in October 2025, became the first woman to score for Liverpool in a Women's Super League match at Anfield. She has also been recognised individually, being named the PFA women's young player of the year and noted as the first non-English recipient for a second consecutive year.
KEY CONTEXT
Smith grew up in Whitby, near Toronto, in a multicultural family — her father is Jamaican and her mother has Chilean and Peruvian roots — and spent much of her youth training with boys’ teams before switching to girls’ football. She practised other sports such as taekwondo and gymnastics; Smith attributes those activities to improvements in discipline, mental toughness, flexibility and certain physical attributes she feels benefit her game. Her father, Sean, tracked and filmed her matches from an early age to monitor development.
WHY IT MATTERS
The transfer fees involved mark significant valuations in the women's game: a club-record buy to Liverpool followed by a move described as a world record to Arsenal underline Smith's market impact. Her on-field landmarks — an early senior international debut and historic scoring moments in the WSL — explain why clubs and supporters have invested attention and resources in her. The PFA recognition also highlights her standing among emerging players.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
The source does not specify firm upcoming fixtures. Relevant follow-ups are how Smith adapts to Arsenal after the record move, how she continues to perform in domestic and continental competitions referenced in the coverage, and whether she sustains the form that earned her individual honours. The article also points to further interviews and material available via the BBC Women's Football Weekly feed.
KEY FACTS
- Age reported as 22 in the coverage.
- Joined Liverpool for a club-record fee of £210,000 one season before moving to Arsenal in a transfer described as a world record.
- Made her senior Canada debut aged 15.
- Became the first woman to score for Liverpool at Anfield in a WSL match in October 2025.
- Named PFA women's young player of the year and described as the first non-English recipient for a second year running.
- Smith has credited taekwondo and gymnastics with helping her discipline, agility and mental resilience; her father filmed and tracked her statistics while she was growing up.