Despite being a former third-round pick who was a solid contributor during his rookie season with 38 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson is one of the rare N.F.L players who probably wouldn’t be considered the best athlete in his own family.
That’s because Wilson’s fiancée is American soccer star Sophia Smith, who recently dominated at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She helped the American women to the gold medal with the 1-0 victory over Brazil on Saturday. She finished the tournament with three goals and two assists.
While Smith battled for gold against Brazil, Wilson is in training camp, preparing for his second season with the Cardinals. And earlier this week he was asked how Smith’s success inspires and motivates him to achieve the same.
Wilson responded with about two full minutes of effusive praise for Smith, her achievements and how hard she works, while noting that following the same steps gives him confidence that he will achieve a similar level of success if given the opportunity.
“I really feel like I’ve been with her since I was 18. She went No. 1 overall pick when I was 19 years old, and she was 19 at the time, too. So she’s basically been able to get every award you can Minus a few, and I’m sure she’ll add a gold medal on Saturday.
“But overall No. 1, the youngest MVP ever, the first player born in the 2000s to be capped by the U.S. Women’s National Team. First player. That’s one of a generation. Actually the first player of our generation. MVP of a national championship [game] in college, plus a national championship. Youngest player to contribute 50 goals in the WSL. Every statistic, every award you can name outside the World Cup, she has on her tool belt.
“And how does that reflect back on me? It reflects back on me because obviously we’ve all heard the saying, ‘You are who you surround yourself with.’ And you are most like the people you interact with every day. And so I feel like that gives me confidence: seeing my fiancé and girlfriend achieve her goals over the years.
“Because now it’s like this: if she can do it, so can I. Because we do the same thing every day. She goes to practice, I go to practice. She goes home and rolls out, I go home and roll out. She watches film, I watch film. She goes to training, I go to training. Our schedules are aligned.
“So I know I haven’t had as much success as them in my sport, but at least I’m doing the same thing. My process looks the same. And I know the results will come eventually. It could be this year, it could be three years be later. But that’s the nature of the game: you never know when you’re going to have your big moment. But when it’s your time to shine, I know I’ll be prepared to capitalize on it.”
Wilson and Smith began dating while student-athletes (Wilson in football, Smith in soccer) at Stanford in 2019, and got engaged in June, ahead of Smith and the USWNT’s series of friendlies ahead of the Olympics. Below you can watch the full video in which Wilson regales the assembled media with stories about his fiancée’s greatness.
