Alex Scott knew the calibre of player she was dealing with when she tipped a teenage Leah Williamson for stardom back in 2015.
Williamson captained England to Euro 2022 glory on Sunday as the Lionesses earned a 2-1 win over Germany after extra time at Wembley. The 25-year-old midfielder has been one of her country's standout players of the tournament as she led her side to the trophy - ending England's agonising wait for silverware.
Pundit Scott was in the BBC studio watching on proudly as her former teammate celebrated down on the pitch below - but she will not have been surprised one bit by Williamson's starring role having played alongside her at Arsenal.
In a chat between the pair filmed by UEFA, Scott told Williamson: "I believe that you will go on to be one of the best in women's football if you carry on going the way you are." A 17-year-old Williamson replied: "I hope so, I hope so."
Fast forward to 2022 and Williamson has become one of the nation's heroines after a dramatic day at Wembley. Speaking on the pitch after England claimed the trophy, she told the BBC: "I can't stop crying.
"We talk and we talk and we talk and we've finally done it. The kids are alright. It's the proudest moment of my life until the day I have kids so I'm going to lap it up.
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"I was told to make every second count because I'll be living it over and over, and I did that today. The legacy of this tournament is the change in society. We've brought people together and got them to games. This is the start of the journey."
England had taken the lead at Wembley after Ella Toone lobbed Germany's goalkeeper with a fine finish to send the crowd wild. Germany managed to equalise soon after, however, as Lina Magull's goal sent the game to extra time. As a dreaded penalty shootout loomed, cue substitute Chloe Kelly to pop up with the winner as she stabbed the ball home from a corner before tearing her shirt off as she wheeled away in celebration.
The emotional scenes at a packed house at Wembley clearly touched former England international Scott, who said: "It's not just me, there are so many people that have been involved in getting women's football to this point, to see this team lift this trophy.
"This is literally what we have all been waiting and dreaming of. The amount of investment that has gone into the games to get it to this point."
England's celebrations carried on into the night after partying in their dressing room before crashing manager Sarina Wiegman's press conference and throwing a post-match bash back at their team hotel. The event set a new BBC record as more than 17million people tuned in to watch the Lionesses' triumph.
Scott took the opportunity to send a scathing reminder to Premier League clubs who had passed up the chance to host matches at the tournament. "In 2018 we were begging people to host in their stadiums a women's game for these Euros" Scott said. "So many people said no.
"I hope you're all looking at yourselves right now because you weren't brave enough to see the vision."
