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From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more.Signup +Once a week...And its LIVE!Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off!Signup +Join the clubGet full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in.Subscribe to our newsletterArsenal captain Kim Little has paid tribute to the people who carried her through the toughest moments of her career, admitting it was their support that helped her keep going when she was struggling with depression.Joining Arsenal in 2008, a year after their historic quadruple, Little would go on to captain the club to 2025 Champions League glory in Lisbon.From bringing a packed lunch to training in the early days to leading her side out in front of a sold-out Emirates Stadium, Littles story, as written by her in The Players Tribune, is one of quiet resilience. You may like Its a really nice feeling to come in after a win and do recovery with everyone at the training ground. Were together, like a family Martin Odegaard details his Arsenal life off the pitch Martin Odegaard exclusive with Guillem Balague for FourFourTwo: 'I believe this is going to be our year' Alex Scott on Chelsea-Arsenal rivalry in Women's Champions League quarter-final Arsenal women star Kim Little: Playing felt impossibleSpeaking openly about her mental health for the first time, Little opened up on the unseen battles that ran alongside her success on the pitch.There have been two significant periods in my career when Ive been depressed and on antidepressants, the 35-year-old said. Times when even getting out of bed felt hard. Playing felt impossible.Get VIP Arsenal tickets HERE with Seat UniqueArsenal's premium Club Level tickets offer superb padded seating and access to the lounge two-and-a-half hours pre-match. The package includes four drinks, one food item, and a half-time complimentary drink. Guests also receive a �5 merchandise voucher and a complimentary Museum Tour, ensuring an elevated and comprehensive matchday experience for home supporters.View DealAnd somehow, I was still doing it. I dont know how. Still training. Still playing at the highest level. I look back at those periods and I honestly dont really know how I found the strength to get through all that. I think part of it was a sense of responsibility. Even when things dont feel right, you still show up. You still go in. You still do the work. If you cant do it for yourself, you do it for the team. For the people around you.I wouldnt wish those experiences on anyone. But when you come out the other side of it You learn so much about yourself. You realise how strong you are. How resilient. And you realise what matters most to you.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.I dont like to dwell on it, but it changed me. I feel so much more aware of whats happening around me now. Its helped me as a leader. When Im around the group every day, I can sense when someones not quite themselves. When their frequency changes.Obviously you dont always know what it is, and you cant always fix it. But that awareness Seeing someone in pain and letting them know you see them. Its a start. What I understand more than anything now is that none of this happens on your own. I think when youre so focused on getting better on training, on playing, on doing the work properly, writing training plans and notes and reminders you can spend a lot of your life with your head down. Its just how you get yourself through it.You can only think about the next run, the next pass, the next touch. But at some point you have to look up and see whos around you. When I do that now, what I see most clearly isnt really a goal or a match or a trophy. Its people. What to read next 'When I came here, we werent where we are now. To be part of that journey means a lot to me Martin Odegaard opens up on his move to Arsenal Finally the bride? Arsenal's rise from disappointment to the cusp of greatness, as told by those who were there along the way Chelsea star Lucy Bronze reveals why she is 'sad' ahead of League Cup final Did I ever think wed sell out the Emirates?Little grew up in a small village in the north-east of Scotland called Mintlaw - somewhere she describes as having only 2,500 people, two primary schools, a petrol station, a chippy and a Chinese.After two years with Hibernian Ladies, she joined Arsenal in 2008 at the age of 17, stepping into a dressing room filled with iconic players like Julie Fleeting, Emma Byrne, Jayne Ludlow, Rachel Yankey, Kelly Smith - figures she describes as the Mount Rushmore of the game.In 2014, she moved to Seattle Reign and later spent time on loan at Melbourne City before returning to north London in 2017. A year later, she was handed the captains armband going on to lead Arsenal to the Womens Super League title in 2019 - their most recent league triumph.Littles journey mirrors the growth of the womens game. When she first arrived in London as a teenager, the environment was a world away from todays professional setup.I was carrying my packed lunch, lugging equipment to the pitches to train twice a week, she said.Did I ever think wed sell out the Emirates? But its one thing to have those experiences. What makes it so much more special is to get the opportunity to share those experiences with others.Whole stretches of my life live in those friendships. They are our shared memories now. Well never lose that. Well be little old ladies one day, sitting in the garden talking about things people could only dream of.TOPICSArsenal WomenWomen's Super LeagueWomen's Champions LeagueAyisha GulatiWomen's Football WriterAyisha Gulati is the women's football writer at FourFourTwo. Fresh from a summer covering the Lionesses triumphant Euro 2025 campaign in Switzerland, she brings a passion for all things WSL, UWCL, and international womens football. She has interviewed names including Alessia Russo and Aitana Bonmati and enjoys telling stories that capture the excitement on and off the pitch.
