Olivia Smith (soccer)
Canadian soccer player (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Olivia Smith (born August 5, 2004) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Arsenal and the Canada national team. She was the first £1 million women's football signing, from Liverpool.
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Smith in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Olivia Smith[1] | ||
| Date of birth | August 5, 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | North York, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Arsenal | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Whitby SC | |||
| Oshawa Kicks SC | |||
| Ajax SC | |||
| Markham FC | |||
| North Toronto SC | |||
| NDC Ontario | |||
| North Toronto SC | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 16 | (1) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022 | North Toronto Nitros | 11 | (18) |
| 2023–2024 | Sporting CP | 18 | (13) |
| 2024–2025 | Liverpool | 20 | (7) |
| 2025– | Arsenal | 20 | (5) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Canada U15 | 4 | (1) |
| 2022–2024 | Canada U20 | 22 | (22) |
| 2019– | Canada | 22 | (4) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of May 16, 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of April 18, 2026 | |||
Early life
Smith was born in North York, Ontario, but grew up in Whitby. She began playing soccer at the age of three, and her father was the coach of the first team she played for.[2] She first played house league with the Whitby Soccer Club, before playing at the competitive level with Oshawa Kicks SC, Ajax SC, Markham FC and then North Toronto SC.[3][4] Afterwards, she joined the Ontario Regional Excel (REX) program (later renamed to the NDC Ontario),[5] before returning to North Toronto SC to train in advance of her move to college, where she committed to join the Florida State Seminoles.[6]
College career
Smith initially committed to attend Florida State University, where she spent one semester, but she instead decided to attend Penn State University, where she played for the women's soccer team.[2][7][8] She made her debut on September 18, 2022, coming on as a second-half substitute against the Indiana Hoosiers.[9] She scored her first collegiate goal on September 25 against the Illinois Fighting Illini.[10] After one season, she elected to forgo her remaining eligibility to sign a professional contract.[11][12]
Club career
In 2022, Smith played for the North Toronto Nitros in League1 Ontario.[13] She made her debut on May 7 against Alliance United.[13] In her next match on May 14, she scored her first goal against Simcoe County Rovers FC.[14] She scored a brace on May 18 against Electric City FC.[15] She scored four goals in a 6–1 victory over BVB IA Waterloo on June 18.[16] After the season, she was named Young Player of the Season, Forward of the Year, and won the Golden Boot after leading the league in scoring with 18 goals, while only appearing in 11 games.[17] She was also named a league First Team All-Star and U18 All-Star in 2022.[18][19]
In July 2023, Smith signed her first professional contract and joined Portuguese club Sporting CP in the Campeonato Nacional Feminino on a three-year deal.[20][21] In her league debut, she scored and added an assist for the club.[22][23] Enjoying success in her first professional season, a season-ending poll of the league's coaches and captains voted Smith the player of the year.[24] She later received the league's juried award as best young player of the season.[25]
Liverpool
In July 2024, she signed with English club Liverpool in the Women's Super League for a fee of £200,000.[26][27][28] She became the first ever woman to score for Liverpool at Anfield, in a 2–1 defeat to Manchester City on October 13.[29][30] Smith quickly became a key figure on the team,[31] and in January drew headlines when Liverpool complained to Professional Game Match Officials Limited about what they perceived as league referees' lack of appropriate action against other teams' fouling of her.[32] On March 14, she scored two goals at Anfield against Manchester United in Liverpool's first ever win at the venue.[33] She finished the season with 9 goals in 25 appearances across all competitions, and was named Players’ Player of the Year and Players’ Young Player of the Year by the club.[34] The Professional Footballers' Association subsequently awarded Smith its PFA Women's Young Player of the Year honour.[35] She was the first non-English recipient of the award, which she said "genuinely means the world to me."[36]
Arsenal
On July 17, 2025, Smith completed a move to Arsenal for a world record fee of £1 million, becoming at that time the most expensive signing in women's football history, with a new four-year contract.[37] She cited her "dream to compete for the biggest titles here in England and in Europe" as reason for joining the club.[38] Smith scored during her debut game for Arsenal, scoring Arsenal's opening goal of the 2025-26 WSL season in a 4–1 victory against London City Lionesses on September 6, 2025, and being named as the player of the match.[39][40] The goal was named as the WSL goal of the month for September 2025.[41]
On 21 January 2026, Smith was sent off, after receiving two yellow cards against Manchester United in the semi-final of the League Cup.[42]
On February 1, 2026, Smith scored in Arsenal's 3–2 victory over Corinthians, helping the club to win the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.[43]
On February 22, 2026, Smith was taken off the pitch on a stretcher following injury from a head clash in Arsenal's 3–0 FA Cup win over Bristol City.[44] She scored on her return from injury, netting the first goal in Arsenal's 2–0 WSL victory over London City Lionesses on March 15, 2026.[45][46]
International career
In 2017, Smith made her debut in the Canada Soccer program, when she attended a youth camp at age 12.[4] She made her international debut for the Canadian U15 team at the 2018 CONCACAF Under-15 Championship.[47]
In late October 2019, she was called up to the Canada national team for the first time.[48] On November 7, 2019, she became the youngest player ever to debut for the senior national team at the 15 years and 94 days old, when she replaced Jordyn Huitema in the 86th minute of a match against Brazil in the Women's International Tournament played in Chongqing, China, breaking the previous record set by Kara Lang.[3][49] In the same tournament, Smith got her second international cap in a match against New Zealand.[50] Following the appearance, she then attended a camp with the Canada U-17 team.[51][52]
She was named the 2019 Canadian Youth International Player of the Year.[53][54] In 2022, she was named to the Canada U20 team for the 2022 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[55] In April 2023, she scored a pair of hat tricks during the 2023 CONCACAF U-20 Championship qualification tournament against Martinique and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.[56]
After being a late addition to the Canadian pre-tournament camp for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Smith was named to the final squad. At age 18, she was its youngest member.[57][58] Smith made her World Cup debut in Canada's final group stage match, as a substitute against Australia.[59][60]
Smith began 2024 being named to the Canadian squad for the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup, while citing that her "biggest goal" for the year was to make the smaller eighteen-person team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[61] She scored her first senior international goal in Canada's opening game of the Gold Cup, a 6–0 rout of El Salvador.[62] Smith was then given her first start at the senior level in the second group game, against Paraguay, and scored her second goal of the tournament.[63] She missed the quarter-final against Costa Rica while in concussion protocol.[64] Smith played thirty minutes of extra time in the semi-final versus the United States, which ultimately saw Canada ousted in the penalty shootout.[65] She received the Young Player Award at the conclusion of the tournament.[66] The Gold Cup was called Smith's "true breakout on the international stage."[65] Due to injury, she was unable to participate in the 2024 SheBelieves Cup,[67] and ultimately was not included in the Canadian Olympic roster.[68] Smith was named the 2024 Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year.[69]
During an International friendly against Switzerland on 24 October, Smith went off with an injury in the 32nd minute. She later withdrew from the camp and returned to Arsenal with a Hip pointer.[70]
Having initially been selected, in February 2026, Smith withdrew from the Canada squad for the 2026 SheBelieves Cup due to concussion which was sustained while playing for Arsenal.[71]
Smith made her return to the national team after her concussion as she was called up for the 2026 FIFA Series in Brazil in April 2026.[72] She featured in a 1–0 loss to Brazil in the final, as Canada finished in second in the tournament on April 18, 2026.[73]
Personal life
Smith is of Jamaican, Chilean, and Peruvian descent.[3] In 2023, she joined the League1 Ontario Women's Football Subcommittee.[74][75]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played May 16, 2026[citation needed]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental[c] | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| North Toronto Nitros | 2022[13] | League1 Ontario | 11 | 18 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 18 | ||||
| Sporting CP | 2023–24 | Campeonato Nacional Feminino | 18 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 28 | 16 | |
| Liverpool | 2024–25 | Women's Super League | 20 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 25 | 9 | ||
| Arsenal | 2025–26 | Women's Super League | 20 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 2[e] | 2 | 38 | 10 |
| Career total | 69 | 43 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 102 | 53 | ||
- includes the Taça de Portugal, Women's FA Cup
- includes the Taça da Liga, Women's League Cup
- includes the UEFA Champions League
- Appearance(s) in Supertaça de Portugal
- Appearance(s) in FIFA Women's Champions Cup
International
- As of match played April 18, 2026[4]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Smith goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 22, 2024 | Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, United States |  El Salvador |
6–0 | 6–0 | 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup |
| 2 | February 25, 2024 |  Paraguay |
2–0 | 4–0 | ||
| 3 | December 3, 2024 | Pinatar Arena, San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain |  South Korea |
3–0 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | May 31, 2025 | Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg, Canada |  Haiti |
4–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
Honours
Arsenal
Individual
- CONCACAF W Gold Cup Best Young Player: 2024[76]
- Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year: 2019, 2024
- PFA Women's Young Player of the Year: 2024–25[35]
- Liga BPI Young Player of the Season: 2023–24[25]
- L1O Forwards of the Year: 2022
- L1O Young Player of the Year (U20): 2022
- L1O First Team All-Star: 2022
- L1O Golden Boot: 2022
- Liverpool Players' Player of the Year: 2024–25[34]
- Liverpool Players' Young Player of the Year: 2024–25