Alex Scott meets Olivia Smith to Eat & Yap about Canada, Jamaica and more

In BBC Sport’s new Eat &amp, Yap series, Alex Scott meets some of the best Women’s Super League players to share the food they love and grew up eating, and talk about life on and off the pitch.

Olivia Smith will forever be the women’s game’s first seven-figure player.

She won her first senior cap while playing college football in her native country at the age of 15.

Aged 18, she signed her first professional contract with Portuguese club Sporting, announcing her arrival with a goal and an assist on her debut.

She joined Liverpool in the Women’s Super League (WSL) at the age of 19 to play for the then-defunct giants, starring right in the right wing to prevent relegation to the second tier.

In July 2025, European champions Arsenal broke the broke the world record to bring 20-year-old Smith to north London.

Alex Scott: So I was told I have to bring maple syrup.

Olivia Smith: You’re a gem, yes. Maple syrup. Beautiful . First of all, I always have, for example, pancakes before a match. I always need maple syrup and I just enjoy pancakes. Honestly, I eat this with everything.

Alex, when did you last visit your home in Canada?

Olivia: Oh – probably in the summer, as I spent my Christmas here.

Alex, how would you define home? Can you build a picture for me of what life was like for you growing up back home?

Olivia: My sister and I both had younger siblinghood. My family were all kind of goofballs I would say. So we spend a lot of time outside, playing games frequently, and having dogs. So I’ve grown up with dogs and just go to the park, play football, play with the dogs. That resembles a typical day, in some ways.

Alex: So your sister plays football?

Olivia, I agree.

Alex: What position does she play?

Olivia is a striker, winger, and midfielder.

Alex: So does she look up to you and want to follow in your footsteps?

Olivia: I hope so, but she says she’s better than I am!

Alex: Does she literally watch your games and say “You should have been doing this” or “You should have scored that goal”?

Olivia: Yes, she sends me screenshots of my game and asks, “Why did you do that?” I’m like, well, “What would you have done”?

Alex, what did she think of your move to Arsenal?

Olivia: She was so excited. She also looks up to a team like Arsenal, and she loves to watch me play, so it’s amazing for me to get the chance to play alongside her alongside Leah Williams and Alessia Russo. She’s really excited for me.

Alex, in Canada, who do you admire most?

Olivia: Christine Sinclair. Both Marta and she are a renowned player in the game, of course. Then I love watching the men’s game as well, so I was always looking up to Neymar, Ronaldinho, Messi, players like that.

Alex: What did your family make of you playing football?

Olivia: I believe my father kind of opened the door for me into football and really helped me develop. He made so many sacrifices for me to be where I am today. He could see that, as I did.

Alex: How would your family and friends describe you?

Olivia: Oh no, you’re so ambitious and crazy. You’re just attacking. My dad always described me whenever I’d play as I’d just take the ball off my own team-mates to go score a goal!

Alex, how did you transition after you finally quit your soccer career and started playing football?

Olivia: It was quite tough, although I had been away from home for a bit before that. However, visiting Portugal, for instance, is completely different. Different language, different style of football. It was quite challenging to learn that on my own. But the support system that I had around me was great, so I was able to adapt, I’d say, quite quickly, which is nice.

And then, of course, coming over to England, that’s a completely different environment, playstyle, and different kinds of people. And obviously it just takes a little bit]of time] to get comfortable. It makes a huge difference on and off the pitch once you establish friendships and are content.

Alex: What would you say is the biggest thing you’ve learned about yourself?

Olivia: Dinner looks different pretty much every day and especially when my grandparents would come by to cook. When you realize it is the best, that is. So we’d have jerk chicken and my grandpa would make oxtail and my grandmother would make something called seco.

Alex, What is SEO?

Olivia: It’s like a]Peruvian] meat stew and rice, and it’s in a green sauce – it’s really nice.

Alex, your grandpas played football, right?

Olivia: Yeah both of them.

Alex: Were there any football games when they come round? Were you watching them?

Olivia: It depends on the day and how I feel, but I do pretty much like to stay at home. I enjoy binge-watching and watching movies, as well as playing video games. So, yeah, games, probably a little bit of shopping because I love to shop.

Right, Alex. So if you’re not playing football, you are..?

Olivia: I’m watching a movie.

Alex: If one song could be playing when you score a goal, what would it be?

Olivia: I’m going to choose A Milli [by Lil Wayne], because I have that song on my pre-game playlists. I think every game.

Alex, what was the last thing you ever wrote in your notes?

Olivia: Oh. a large number. I was playing an escape room game, so I needed to write down all these numbers so I could put it into a code.

What is one thing you’ve always loved about moving to England and saying, “I absolutely love this”?

Olivia: I fell in love with Yorkshire puddings and a Sunday dinner. It’s my absolute favorite thing right now because I adore them.

Alex: Not many people love Yorkshire puddings.

Alex, Let’s consider when we’re gearing up for the season. What are your objectives and aspirations?

Olivia: Ultimately, I want to become a better version of myself as a player. Being at Arsenal will undoubtedly help me with a lot of things that I need to improve on. And ultimately I want to win things.

Do you feel like you’ve settled in and that the reasons you wanted to join the club are starting to come up?

Olivia: Yeah, 100%. Although it took me a while to fully absorb the first few months, the girls have been amazing and have made me feel at ease.

Alex: Talk me through that first day when you arrived at Arsenal.

Olivia: I was absolutely terrified because Arsenal was a massive game every time we played it. Obviously you never know what the environment is like from the outside, and I didn’t know what to expect. And when I first entered, it was completely different from what I had anticipated: everyone was just so welcoming.

Alex: Who’s the MVP, the person that if they weren’t there tomorrow you’d be thinking “this feels strange”?

Olivia: Really, less Russo. She just has that personality and that vibe that you can feel at the training ground. You can talk to her about anything because it’s so cozy. She’s just very sweet.

Renee[/s] has just renewed her three-year contract. In terms of the other managers that you’ve played for, how is she different?

Olivia: She has a lot of ambition, which I think she does throughout the club. Her values match]the club] and match the players as well, so I think that’s just a really great thing to have, and also stability – knowing that she’s going to be here for the next three years. To have a female player empower us is impressive, in my opinion, and that is also why I think that’s important. She also wants the players to feel empowered and to use our voices, which I’ve always said.

Alex: Talking of the next thing, when you’re looking at you and your career, what is it that you want to tick off? What are your goals, exactly?

Olivia: Oh, there’s plenty of things I want to achieve. In the end, I want to win everything. And again, the biggest thing is I just want to keep developing and growing as a person and a player. I believe it’s really important for me to keep developing my character, meeting new people, and just learning.

Alex: You said meeting more people. How have you been welcomed by Arsenal supporters?

Olivia: They’ve been amazing. A few weeks ago, I took part in the [Arsenal Women fan engagement project] Block by Block consultation and discussed how to improve matchdays.

It was really fun because I got to interact with the fans more on a personal level rather than them being up in the stands and just clapping – actually having a conversation and seeing what we can do to make the experience better for them, but also for us as players. Whether it’s music, fireworks, or just making things fun.

Alex: I bet the fans must have been buzzing. Did they know you were arriving?