Speaking at the House of WePlayStrong event ahead of the UEFA Women’s Champions League final, Lucia Garcia praised Manchester United’s fans as she reflected on a tumultuous season with the Red Devils.
The Spaniard spoke in depth on the club’s first-ever Adobe Women’s FA Cup triumph, before assessing the shortfalls that have prevented Manchester United from reaching the same levels in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
Winning the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium – and scoring twice in the process – was “one of the best days of my life,” said the 25-year-old, who was born just a ten-minute drive away from San Mámes, the host stadium for Saturday’s UWCL final.
Manchester United were supported in the capital city by a sizeable travelling support, and the forward praised the fans, expressing that “it doesn’t matter if you are doing well or not, but the way you fight is what they are going to clap for you.”
Embed from Getty ImagesGarcía previously played for Bilbao-based Athletic Club before making the move to Manchester, and she acknowledged that she “didn’t want to leave, but didn’t want to miss the chance from Manchester United – so it was a half/half [decision].”
“When I left, I thought I was not going to have the same fans, but it’s quite the same. It’s a big family, and all you can see is that they support you.”
Victory at Wembley followed a tumultuous season, which saw the Red Devils fail to reach the group stages of the UEFA Women’s Champions League and slump to their worst-ever finish in the Barclays Women’s Super League. García insisted that Manchester United are “one of the newest teams in the league,” and added that “we are working in the right way.”
Marc Skinner has come under fire from fans throughout the campaign, and when asked what the 41-year-old is like as a manager, García’s answer was clear. “Intense, intense, intense. He’s a good manager – but yeah, intense,” she explained.
García spoke openly about her targets for the upcoming season, insisting that she “would like to be better in the league than this season, because it’s been crap.” She added that she would like to “be more constant in the league, win another FA Cup and maybe be in the Champions League.”
The House of WePlayStrong event took place in Bilbao on the morning of the UEFA Women’s Champions League final. UEFA’s WePlayStrong campaign is dedicated to celebrating and advancing women’s football across Europe.
The House of WePlayStrong included a variety of activities, speakers, and interactive experiences throughout the day.