Vivianne Miedema said she and partner Beth Mead will “not be friends” when the Netherlands face England at Euro 2025 and would be “very happy” if she plays a part in knocking the Lionesses out of the tournament.
Netherlands captain Miedema and England forward Mead began their relationship when they were team-mates at Arsenal and the Dutch striker said they have banned themselves from discussing Wednesday’s clash.
Holders England can be knocked out of the Euros after just two games if they lose to the Netherlands, who won the Euros in 2017, and Miedema said she would not be holding back ahead of facing her partner on the field.
“The golden rule tomorrow is we can talk about anything, just not football,” Miedema said. “We will not be friends tomorrow. If it’s not a nice moment for Beth, it is not a problem for me. I will be very happy tomorrow [if Netherlands go through].
“Throughout the years we have played with each other a lot. At club and country level. May the best team win. No, I will not hold back.
“I don’t think she will speak to me for a bit [if England lose]. It’s tough, I know I’ve got Beth, but some of my best friends too. It’s football, it’s part of the game. I’ve been on the other end of it at other tournaments. I’ll be happy for us if we go through.”
Manchester City striker Miedema scored her 100th goal for the Netherlands in their 3-0 win over Wales to start Euro 2025 and the Dutch can reach the quarter-finals if they can back up their opening win in Zurich.
There are many connections between the England and Netherlands teams, not least Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman leading the Lionesses. A number of Netherlands players also play, or have played, in England.
Miedema said she was not surprised by France’s victory over England, given the strength of the French team, and dismissed the idea that the Lionesses are vulnerable. “They have so much quality and we have to be at our best to get a result,” Miedema said.
“It’s hard to come off a tournament you’ve won, to go to a World Cup final, to go again and not have issues. You have players who retire, you have players who might not be happy and that’s part of the game.
“They have so much quality and players who can deal with that. They can turn up tomorrow and be unreal. We have to be prepared for that.”
The Netherlands manager Andries Jonker used to coach Wiegman and said: “You don’t want to hurt your friends. It’s football, sometimes you have to face each other. She wants to beat us, we want to beat her.”
