A born sports fanatic, Lindsey Horan grew up glued to her television for every Olympic Games, watching in awe of the world’s greatest athletes from her Colorado home.

“I always remember tuning in with my grandpa, because he loved the Olympics too,” she tells FIFA. “We would watch anything and everything! It was so exciting, having all these amazing individuals coming together to represent the US. The Olympics was always massive for me.”

It stands to reason, then, that Horan places winning an Olympic gold medal at this year’s Games right at the top of her to-do list.

The 29-year-old USA captain has racked up an impressive haul of elite-level honours, including a FIFA Women’s World Cup™ crown, league championships in her homeland and in France, and a UEFA Women’s Champions League triumph. She lifted yet another title on Sunday after scoring the decisive goal in USA’s Concacaf W Gold Cup final victory over Brazil.

In Horan’s words, however, her two appearances at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament “have not gone as planned”, despite winning bronze at Tokyo 2020.

“It was really cool to stand on that podium, but we wanted so much more,” says the midfielder, who was also part of the USA side beaten in the quarter-finals at Rio 2016.

“This team always strives for greatness, and we’re winners. We want to go for gold. The World Cup is obviously the pinnacle, but winning a gold medal at the Olympics… that’s something that you just can’t describe. It would be a huge moment in my career.”

Horan will embark on that challenge in the country she counts as her second home – and where she enjoyed the most magical moment of her career.

“The Olympics being in France makes it even more special,” says Horan, who joined current club Lyon in 2022 and previously spent four years with Paris St Germain. “It’s where we won the World Cup in 2019 and where I’ve spent so much of my life, which is pretty wild. I do feel I have a connection with the country. My French still isn’t perfect, but I can get around – I want that to be known!”

Horan and her USA team-mates will go into battle at Paris 2024 led by a new coach. Ahead of the Games, Emma Hayes will replace interim boss Twila Kilgore – who will become an assistant coach on Hayes’ staff – and Horan describes the Englishwoman as the “perfect person” to take on the role.

A relentless trophy collector with Chelsea, Hayes recently commented: “People ask me, how do you keep your motivation so high?’ But you don’t tire of winning. You just have to keep finding a different way to do it.”

In Horan, Hayes appears sure to find a kindred spirit.

“For me, the desire doesn’t stop,” says Horan. “Your career is short, so you just want to do as much as possible and be the best you can be. You don’t get sick of winning, you don’t get sick of the trophies, you don’t get sick of the time with your team-mates and playing in front of such incredible fans. I just love the game. I want to keep getting better and keep entertaining.”

Read on for more of our interview with Horan, who discusses being a student of the game, the key elements of her captaincy role, and the “inspiring” effect incoming coach Hayes had in her first meeting with the USA squad…

Lindsey, USA are set to embark on a new era with Emma Hayes as coach. How much are you looking forward to working with her?
Lindsey Horan: It’s super exciting and motivating for us to have a coach of her calibre coming in. The conversations we’ve had already have been really encouraging. She’s such a well-known leader in women’s football and what she’s done with Chelsea is incredible. Obviously, I don’t want her to win the Champions League this year though! I want to make sure Lyon do!

Emma travelled to the United States to meet the squad towards the end of last year. What type of impression did she make?
I always want to see how a coach speaks to the team. How they can gain integration right away and get the players listening. That’s exactly what happened. She came in and you saw a real leader and a real coach – and someone who also cared a lot. You want to see the players listening and, with Emma, you sit up in your seat because you’re so intrigued and inspired. That’s a very cool thing to have in a room.

What will she bring to the role? And how can she help the team evolve?
She’ll bring experience. She’s very knowledgeable on what the trends are in the game and what football is like in Europe. She sees the potential in this team. I’m sure we’ll assess what we need to change and what to keep the same to maintain that US mentality.

We need to continue to learn and grow. Everyone can see where women’s football is headed – so many teams have improved so much. It’s such a cool thing. We have four stars on our jersey, we’ve won numerous trophies and been on top, but we need to grind and get better, because the rest of the world is getting better. I think Emma is the perfect person for this job.

You mentioned the standard of game has gone to a new level. What it is like to compete against such high-quality opposition every time you represent your country?
It’s cool for us as players. Not that it didn’t mean as much before, but it’s so meaningful when you beat teams of the calibre we see across the world now. At the World Cup, every group-stage game was difficult in its own way. There’s a real sense of pride when you beat a good team or grind out a draw. I also think for the viewership, for the fans, and the future of women’s football, that’s what we want to see. You want to see competitive match-ups against every team. That’s what we’re getting.

You were a football obsessive as a kid and would watch matches constantly on television. Do you still do that now or do you try to switch off from the day job?
I don’t really like to switch off! I think, honestly, my switch-off time is watching a game. Each game I look at differently – there are times I’m more tuned in on a player who is in my position and I’m learning different things. I do like to see the trends in the game. I always find two players to follow as closely as possible throughout the season – this year it’s been Kevin De Bruyne and James Maddison. Both have had injuries, which has made it a little bit more difficult. There are also games, of course, I watch just as pure entertainment. It’s hard for me to push the off button! I just enjoy it so much. It’s my love and my passion.

You are the current USA captain. How would you describe your leadership style?
I want to be as open as possible. I want everyone to feel comfortable reaching out to me, but I also want to be able to notice when someone may need some help or guidance.

I’ve always said I want to be a players’ captain. I also want to be a voice to make sure our team is in the right spot with the coaching staff ­– that there is nothing mixed up or things left unsaid. I believe that’s the role of a captain, especially in a tournament when it’s stressful as hell – making sure the stress of the coach doesn’t come on the players and the stress of the players doesn’t come on the coach.

Being captain is a big responsibility and a huge honour. I just want to make a positive impact on every individual in the team, try to get the best out of them, learn what makes them tick and what motivates them. It’s a cool role to have. It’s a very inspiring thing.

You play with another influential captain at Lyon in Wendie Renard. What type of leader is she?
Wendie is one of the greatest people on this planet! I love her so much. When I think of Wendie, I think of a true, true captain. She’s one of those people that, when they speak, you listen. Everyone listens and no-one else is speaking. There’s the professionalism aspect with Wendie, and then what she does on the field – and that makes you want to play better. I want to play for her and I don’t want to disappoint her. It was the same with someone like Tobin Heath. I just never wanted to disappoint her and I always wanted to be at my best for her.

As a person, Wendie is amazing. Before we became team-mates, I thought that she was scary. I was kind of fearful of her! Then I met her and she’s just so fun and so nice! I love her.

Finally, you’re aged 29 and have several years left at the top of the game, but have you considered a future career in coaching?
I would love to stay involved in soccer. Whether that’s as a coach or not, I go back and forth all the time. I’ve thought about it a lot. Sometimes I have to stop myself, because I’m still a player and if I get too much into that [coaching mindset], I’ll be too critical on the field with individuals and I’ll be thinking way too much.

Coaching is something I believe I could be really good at, but you never know. We’ve seen a lot of players who have gone down that path and it doesn’t go in the right direction. It’s got to be the right time and with the right team, but it could be a cool thing.