The hyper-intelligent forward scored six goals and set up four last Sunday in one of the great individual displays of any era

On Sunday, in north London, records were smashed. Arsenal’s 11-1 pounding of Bristol City became the highest-scoring game in Women’s Super League history – surpassing Liverpool’s 9-0 defeat of Doncaster Belles in 2014.

A scoreline that emphatic often prompts talk of the collective clicking like never before, of teamwork triumphing. At Meadow Park that was true; the crisp instinctive passing, the movement of the midfield diamond, the high line and searing passes of the back three, made you drool.

The 100 best female footballers in the world 2019: 100-71 Read more

But there was a bigger story. An individual performance from the Dutch forward Vivianne Miedema that defies logic. By the 65th minute she had scored six goals and provided four assists. Yet she is a headline stealer who hates the headlines.

“I don’t really think I’ve played like that before,” she said after her double hat-trick. “I felt really good today and I was probably happier with my assists today. I felt really good and I’m happy that I could help the team.”

Miedema is happier resting up for the next game than sitting alongside the footballing elite and being recognised as one of the best players in the world at the Ballon d’Or awards.

It is not just a shyness that prompts that attitude but an active dislike of individual awards. Ask her, as Arseblog’s Tim Stillman did regarding her omission from the Fifpro World XI. “I think we all know it’s all about popularity and I don’t post much on Instagram or Twitter, so that’s probably what went wrong,” she said. “I don’t really care about individual awards to be honest, but I think it’s a joke.”

She had scored 22 goals in 20 games, 31 across all competitions. After eight league games this season she has 10 goals, 22 in all competitions. Atthe age of 23 she is the Netherlands’ record goalscorer.

She is fascinating to watch. The goals defy appearance. Miedema has a nonchalance that almost makes her look uninterested or lazy. It is a theme perpetuated by a dry wit and somewhat lackadaisical attitude to training and life in general. A photo of Miedema sitting on the floor, sunglasses on, in front of a group of Netherlands players powering away on exercise bikes drew amusement during the World Cup. Interviewers are often left bemused by her darkly honest sense of humour.

DΛPHNE CHΛNNΛ✌️ (@ikbendaf) De oranje selectie komt ietwat bij op de fiets tijdens de eerste training in #Valenciennes en Miedema eet iets kouds. #NED #onzejacht #daretobike #daretoshine #LeMomentDeBriller pic.twitter.com/mDMDOiPuHq

Except she is anything but lazy. Miedema has a way of surveying the game as if settled in the eye of a storm, looking out waiting for a slip, a poor touch, a crack of space, that will prompt her to pounce into the fray. She may not bust a gut for 90 minutes but that is because she doesn’t need to. It is intelligent play.

Her four assists against Bristol City showed how she reads the runs of others because they are the runs she likes to make. She is a No 9 with the instincts, movement and foresight of a No 10.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Vivianne Miedema, the Netherlands’ record goalscorer at the age of 23, finds the net against Cameroon at the World Cup. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

There were two crosses from the right, one from the left and, for the team’s ninth goal, a wonderful chip from the forward who, spotting the darting run of Lisa Evans, lifted the ball over the defence and into her path.

Last season, the pressure ramped up on the forward as Arsenal players dropped like flies, injuries weakening their squad. An exhausting end to the season was followed by a run to the World Cup final, two weeks’ rest, then the launching of a title defence. This time there is a freedom to Miedema’s play that comes from having a close-to-full-strength set of players around her. She is free to duck deeper and turn provider where perhaps she had to previously stay much tighter to the 18-yard box.

“Yeah, well, to be fair, I do need a bit of pressure because otherwise I tend to get a bit lazy,” she told the Guardian at the start of the season when asked whether the pressure on her had been lifted a little by players returning from injury. Except the lack of pressure does not seem to be doing her much harm.

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It is hard to find a more complete individual performance, even looking at those from players such as Kelly Smith or Julie Fleeting in their prime, yet she does not feel she is at her free-flowing best. “I do feel a little closer [to full fitness],” she told the Arsenal website on Sunday. “But also I’m looking forward to the Christmas holidays.”

That is what is terrifying and exhilarating. The stalking forward is already special to watch; one of those players you know you are going to look back on and feel lucky to have seen live, yet she is still so young and so convinced there is more to come.

Talking points

• England’s Beth Mead has signed a new “long-term” contract with Arsenal. The forward forced her way into Phil Neville’s squad before the World Cup and has 25 caps. She joined Arsenal from Sunderland in 2017 and has scored 32 goals in 76 games, including four goals this season.

• The eight-times FA Cup winners Southampton will play West Brom or Lincoln in the third round of this year’s competition. Their rivals Southampton FC, who are affiliated to the men’s club, will play Cardiff for as they push for a place in the fourth round, when WSL and Championship clubs join. The former WSL club Sunderland or their neighbours Middlesbrough play Fylde. See the full draw here.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Megan Rapinoe is shown on a big screen in Paris after winning the women’s Ballon d’Or. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images

• Megan Rapinoe has been awarded the second women’s Ballon d’Or, beating England’s Lucy Bronze and Rapinoe’s USWNT teammate Alex Morgan, who were second and third respectively. Rapinoe adds the award to the Fifa Best player of the year award she picked up in September, following her six goals that helped the USWNT to the World Cup and her to the Golden Boot and Golden Ball.

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