Meado: Anatomy of an Arsenal legend

A “special person” and an absolute machine in front of goal, Beth Mead is leaving Arsenal after an incredible nine-year spell.

Yesterday, Arsenal announced that one of their longest serving players, Beth Mead, would be leaving the club this summer.

If you’ve ever found your way to any ground in England where Arsenal have plied their trade in the past nine years, you’ll likely be familiar with the catchy number, ‘Meado, Meado, Meado.’ The tune is never far from the lips of any Arsenal fan, a simple chant for a player whose journey at Arsenal has been anything but.

Mead was the youngest top scorer in the history of the BWSL at only 20 the season prior to arriving in North London for her hometown side Sunderland. She also won BWSL Player of the Year that term. Now to imagine an Arsenal without Beth Mead seems unthinkable. The Lionesses winger has played for Arsenal in the Barclays Women’s Super League for longer than the Gunners have been without her. The Arsenal number nine has come to represent so much of the positive image of the women’s team in N5.

Breaking boundaries

One glance at the BWSL record books and you’ll see the name Beth Mead plastered all over them. Most of those records, she’s broken in Arsenal colours. To name but a few, no player has more than Beth Mead’s 54 assists in the league and she also holds the record for the most assists in a single BWSL season with 12 in 2018/19.

Mead and Vivianne Miedema were one of the greatest combinations in attack the BWSL has ever seen. ‘Meadema’ as fans lovingly dubbed the duo have the most Barclays Women’s Super League Player of the Month awards, both have won three. The pair also hold the extraordinary record of most goal involvements shared in a single BWSL season with 22 in 2017-18.

Mead won six major honours in her time at Arsenal, that included the BWSL title in 2018-19 where she finished the season with 19 goal involvements.

Mead’s highlight in Arsenal red and white came in the blistering heat of a Lisbon summer last year. She was introduced off the bench with the match in the balance, as Arsenal faced down reigning European Champions, FC Barcelona. Mead’s clever reverse pass into Stina Blackstenius set up the winner and made sure Arsenal went home with the UEFA Women’s Champions League trophy for the first time in almost 20 years and completed a stunning upset.

It has not always been plain sailing for Mead at Arsenal, as much as the highs were extraordinarily high. Mead suffered a horror ACL injury against Manchester United in 2022 before losing a parent the following year to cervical cancer. Mead has bravely spoken out about her experience of losing her mother, June to the illness and she has been outspoken in backing the public health campaign to end cervical cancer by 2040. She is known and loved for her persona on and off the pitch. A warm and friendly character off it and a tenacious, savvy winger with boundless talent on it.

“A special person”

Head of Women’s Football at Arsenal, Clare Wheatley was gushing in her praise of Mead, “Beth is such a special person and will always be welcome at Arsenal.”

Renée Slegers has been equally glowing and last month spoke of Mead and another Arsenal stalwart Katie McCabe, “Of course, my biggest respect to those players” Slegers earnestly explained. “They’ve been at Arsenal for so long. They’ve contributed to the growth of the team, the performances, the results of the team, [to] everything that has been pushed in the club, [and the] bigger picture of women’s football.”

Mead was a massive part of the Arsenal side that drew in fans and broke attendance records in the Emirates era. Her success on the international stage, especially winning the Golden Boot at UEFA EURO 2022 helped bridge the gap from fans of the national team to bums on seats for club sides in women’s football. Rarely has a single player become the embodiment of such a seismic shift in perspective of an entire sport.

Mead won the BBC Sport’s Personality of the Year award in 2022, the first women’s footballer ever to do so. In the same year, she came second in the Ballon D’Or voting, the highest a BWSL player has ever placed in the vote. Wherever she may call home next, she has made an indelible impact on the English game. And come Wednesday night, when Mead will play her last home match for Arsenal against Everton, as the home faithful sing ‘North London Forever’, they will have Mead in mind. The hearts of the fans will brim with gratitude, nostalgia and pride for the ultimate Arsenal number nine.

All change

Arsenal also announced the departures of Victoria Pelova and Laia Codina upon the expiry of their contracts this summer. In total, Victoria made 87 appearances and scored six goals during her time with Arsenal, Laia 58 appearances and four goals. Both won the Subway League Cup in 2024, with Victoria playing all 120 minutes and Laia coming on and helping keep a clean sheet as a substitute. Both also won the UEFA Women’s Champions League and FIFA Women’s Champions Cup while with the Gunners.

The double departure adds to the previously announced exit of goalkeepers Manuela Zinsberger and Naomi Williams. It looks set to be a summer of change for the North London outfit.

Word credit: Tom Maher