They say everything happens for a reason.
For Katie McCabe, that everything was a loan spell at Glasgow City in 2017, and the reason was to reignite her love for football and put her back on the path to seeing her become one of the most formidable players in the women’s game.
As part of our ongoing series where we chat to former Glasgow City players about the impact our club had on their careers, we seem to have found our perfect subject in Katie.
“I honestly feel so proud of it,” she answers when we ask what it means for her career to be forever associated with our club.
“Looking back, when the Facebook memories pop up and you see the photos of us being successful – two of my favourite photos are when we won the league, one as a squad and another photo of me and the Irish girls with the trophy.
“I look back on it with a lot of pride. It makes me smile, honestly, because it was such an enjoyable few months of my career.
“I did love living in Glasgow, as well. It was a great place to be.
“It's something I’m very proud of. It’s a massive part of my story.”
The left-sided full-back that arrived on loan from the Gunners and the one that left 16 appearances, five goals and a Scottish Women’s Premier League title later were very different people, Katie admits.
She had arrived in Scotland in search of the perfect tonic to get her club career back on track after falling out of favour at Arsenal.
“She left a lot fitter,” Katie tells us with a laugh over Zoom when we ask how she’d compared the player who arrived in Glasgow to the one who left at the end of her loan spell.
But, more importantly, she continues: “She was a lot more confident.
“It’s crazy when you say 16 games because I felt it was way more, but it shows how enjoyable my time there was. I felt like I was there for a long time, and the games, the training sessions, and the triumphs we had helped with that.
“The Katie leaving Glasgow City left a lot more confident, a lot more connected to the club, and connected with Scottish football.”
The Republic of Ireland international had already had a taste of what City could offer, having spent time on trial at the club alongside Clare Shine a couple of years prior. So, in 2017, needing an environment that would help her grow, a return to Scotland felt right.
And nearly a decade on, with every domestic English honour lifted, a World Cup as her country’s captain behind her, and a Champions League winner’s medal to her name, the decision to head north of the border looks less like a risk and more like a turning point.
“People thought I was taking a step back, but I don’t think those people knew Scottish football or about Glasgow City,” she adds.
“I knew exactly what I was going into, and the expectations and demands of a City player. The winning mentality and culture that they have there.
“It was exactly what I needed, and it was exactly the right environment I needed to be in to maintain the high standards so that when the loan move was finished up, I didn’t lose that going back into Arsenal.
“It put me in a great position because I came to the end of the Scottish season – and my fitness levels were at their highest – and I was going into mid-season with Arsenal.
“I didn’t know if I was going to have a contract offer or an extension from the club when I went back, and there was a change in management with Joe [Montemurro] coming in.
“I had two weeks left of training before my contract was officially up but coming back into the Arsenal environment a lot sharper, fitter, more explosive and with confidence – it gave Joe and the club something to think about.
“I extended my contract to stay until the end of the year, and I was so happy because I knew I’d made the right decision to go to Glasgow... and here I am 10 years later [still at Arsenal] off the back of it.”
It was not only on the pitch where Katie felt she gained a new perspective.
During her time with us, she discovered an affinity for our club and its history. It is a connection that has not waned over time.
“It’s such a unique club,” she tells us. “Not being affiliated with a men’s club, who is solely focused on women and solely focused on wanting women’s football to be successful and inspiring women’s footballers as well was a major factor for me.”
Katie continues: “I knew it was a standalone club, but it’s only now when I reflect on it with my mature hat on, I look back on how important that is, especially in the women’s game.
“You look at the likes of Michelle Kang taking over London City Lionesses – they are their own entity in itself – and Glasgow City have been doing that for a number of years, and they’re way ahead of that when it comes to a women’s football club.
“It’s amazing what Laura and Cas have been doing over the years. I’m still a Glasgow City fan in my heart for sure.”
At the start of our chat, we asked Katie why she felt Glasgow City would be the right place to rediscover her love of the game, despite some people telling her a move to Scotland might not be as fruitful as she had hoped.
“I have this weird sense that I am always right,” she says.
With our conversation now done and having heard about the impact our club had on Katie’s career, it’s difficult to find a reason to disagree.