- Star US Women's National Team midfielder Lindsey Horan is officially a
Champions League winner. - While on loan from NWSL club
Portland Thorns , the American helped French side Lyon to its 8th title.
Lindsey Horan had achieved an awful lot during her professional soccer career.
But, until this weekend, she couldn't call herself a Champions League winner.
The US Women's National Team midfielder helped Olympique Lyonnais to a staggering 3-1 victory against reigning champions and frontrunners Barcelona FC in Saturday's Champions League final. Though Horan spent four years of her early pro career with French side Paris Saint-Germain, she had never broken through on Europe's most prestigious stage — a feat she told Insider was her "main goal here" in April.
So once she accomplished it, all of the emotions came flooding in.
"You can probably see it in my face," Horan told the sideline reporter as tears filled her eyes. "This is what I've dreamed of ever since I was a little girl watching the men's Champions League. And now look at this stadium and what both Lyon and Barca brought."
"Winning a game like this and our performance and playing against such an incredible team, it's everything," she added.
—DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) May 21, 2022
Horan joined Lyon in January, on loan from her longtime National Women's Soccer League Club, the Portland Thorns. She's already helped the French powerhouse to a record eighth Champions League title, and with her loan extending through the summer of 2023, there's a solid chance she'll be in contention for yet another title.
After all, Lyon has been to the Champions League final all but three times since the 2009-10 season. And even after the hype around Barcelona had grown to a fever pitch this year, Lyon was able to use Sunday's match to reestablish itself as the class of women's soccer.
"I don't know if it's a point to prove, but it's us being us," Horan said. "Focusing on us and knowing that we need to respect the team that came forth. And, you know, they played a good game, but we played like Lyon."
Check out the full clip below:
—DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) May 21, 2022