When Emma Hayes sat down to give her final press conference as Chelsea boss, the first topic she was quizzed on was her attire.
“What does it say on the back of your shirt?” one journalist asked, Hayes having walked into Old Trafford’s media suite sporting a commemorative ‘Champions’ jersey. “Back to back to back to back to back,” she replied with a grin – content, perhaps, that she had accomplished something no one before her had managed to achieve.
Because, on a weekend when Manchester City were lauded for becoming the first English top-flight team to win four consecutive league titles, Hayes went one better. On her watch, Chelsea became the first side to win five Women’s Super League (WSL) titles in a row.
And, as she sails off into the sunset at the end of a trophy-laden 12 years in West London, Hayes can rest assured that her legacy as one of the most influential forces in English football history is secured. Under her stewardship, the Blues have gone from a team firmly in the clutches of mediocrity to one of the most formidable outfits in all of Europe.
They have won seven of the last nine WSL titles and yet, as Hayes and her players celebrated their latest triumph in front of the 3,000 travelling fans at the Theatre of Dreams, there was a sense that this season might just have been the manager’s greatest show yet. “I can’t say it’s been the most enjoyable, but definitely the toughest and, for that reason, it’s probably the sweetest title win,” Hayes said after the game.
“I’m so tired. I’m exhausted from 12 years — not just 90 minutes of football. I don’t know how I’ve done it. I’m always so grateful for the players and what they’ve done for me and the club. I’m so relieved it’s over.”
That relief was palpable as she gave one final, unflinchingly honest address to the press. There was no time for despondency or tear-stained nostalgia – she made clear her only regret was that she had missed the chance to have a farewell drink with the great Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I missed my drink with Sir Alex because I was celebrating too much,” she sighed. “He was waiting for me and I’m absolutely gutted but he just rang me before I came in here. So sorry, Sir Alex. I was really looking forward to that glass of red!”
The legendary Manchester United boss has become something of a mentor to Hayes in recent years and, while he was officially in attendance at Old Trafford on Saturday to support his former club, he will surely have been delighted to witness his friend’s triumphant Chelsea swansong.
That Hayes is regarded so highly by the Premier League’s greatest ever manager speaks volumes about her pedigree. While women’s football skeptics might view her through a lens of disdain, her standing within the game could scarcely be higher.
And it is not just Ferguson who Hayes has forged an alliance with in recent years. Jurgen Klopp, too, has become a confidant, with the two managers having spoken at length about the stresses of managing at the elite level.
It was the departing Liverpool boss that Hayes turned to when she was subject to social media abuse earlier this month and the pair spoke again last week ahead of their respective last hurrahs. Certainly, there are many parallels to be drawn between the two coaches and their motives for embarking on a brand new chapter.
“I’m running out of energy,” was Klopp’s concise explanation when announcing his Anfield exit back in January. It is a sentiment Hayes has shared in recent months, with the soon-to-be US Women’s national team coach admitting she “didn’t have a drop left to give” on Saturday.
There are similarities between the pair’s management styles too. The German word ‘Menschenfänger’ – meaning ‘people-catcher’ in English – has often been used to describe Klopp and his superhuman ability to galvanise and inspire.
But it is a word that could also quite easily relate to Hayes, whose magnetism and unique oratory skills have had a huge hand in Chelsea’s unrivaled success. After all, it was only a few short weeks ago that the Blues looked to have abandoned hope of title glory following their shock defeat to top-four-chasing Liverpool.
And yet, as Chelsea dazzled in the balmy Manchester sunshine on Saturday afternoon – the scene of their season’s nadir less than an hour down the road – they looked a million miles away from the woebegone team that had all but surrendered at Prenton Park.
Would such a drastic turnaround have happened under anyone apart from Hayes? It seems unlikely.
Under her, Chelsea have become the benchmark; not infallible but inevitable.
In each of the last four seasons, the title race has gone down to the final day. In every one of those seasons, Chelsea have emerged with the trophy. How much of that was down to the manager is something we will learn in the months and years ahead but it admittedly feels unlikely such unprecedented levels of dominance will continue in Hayes’ absence.
“Man City have had a tremendous season. They really have,” she said after City’s narrow victory over Aston Villa had seen Gareth Taylor’s side finish second on goal difference. “They pushed us all the way. But if you leave that door open for a team like Chelsea, I think the minute that door was left open was the minute everybody knew that we would walk through it.”
Indeed, Hayes has burst many a proverbial door off its hinges during her time at Kingsmeadow. She has blazed a trail for women in sport and left a legacy that will continue to burn brightly for years to come.
