My father tried to make me a Tottenham fan, but I became an Arsenal legend.
Arsenal star Leah Williamson admits she had a big decision to make when she was tasked with choosing her football allegiance.
The Lioness captain found herself in the unenviable position of having to follow mom or dad's club, which turned out to be Arsenal and Tottenham.
Caught in the middle of the north London divide and with her father desperate to take her side, Williamson was given the chance to try out both clubs before making her final decision.
“My father is Spurs, my mother is Arsenal, so I had to choose,” he told BBC's The One Show.
“My dad took me to my first game, which was a Spurs game, and then I went with my mom to Arsenal. Obviously I chose correctly.”
Williamson joined Arsenal's Center of Excellence in 2006, when he was just nine years old. The long road to the first team became a reality when, at the age of 17, he made his debut for the club in a Champions League quarter-final clash against Birmingham City.
A Premier League and two-time FA Cup winner, Williamson has become a legend for both club and country.
Ahead of this weekend's clash, he was asked how family dynamics work on derby day, to which the star simply replied: “It's not like that.”
Williamson recently made her long-awaited return from an ACL injury that kept her out of last year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The 27-year-old has made six appearances this season as Arsenal maintain their slim hopes of overtaking Man City and Chelsea to the WSL title.
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The defender will already have one eye on next season's title fight, as well as England's push for Euro 2025 glory after the Lionesses' miraculous triumph in 2022.
But for now, the focus is on Arsenal's men's and women's teams in what will be a pivotal weekend for both.
Williamson addresses Everton to 12.30pm on Sunday for a WSL clash before attention turns to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where Mikel Arteta's side face a crucial clash that will largely determine the fate of this season's Premier League title.
Williamson will not be home to watch Sunday's derby but hopes family tensions will be kept to a minimum in his absence.
