Manchester City Forward Misses Title Celebrations Due to Mother's Illness

Manchester City forward Vivianne Miedema has been absent from the team's last two Women's Super League matches because of a family medical emergency. Her teammates held up a shirt with her name and squad number during celebrations after the club was crowned champion on Wednesday night.

Miedema posted on Instagram on Thursday morning to explain the situation. She said the last 2.5 weeks have been difficult for her family after her mother developed serious complications following chemotherapy for cancer and has been in the ICU since.

“She’s been fighting for her life, and by some miracle, she is still here. Now she’s fighting hard through the small steps of recovery, although there are still many big hurdles ahead,” Miedema wrote. ” Miedema contributed 10 goals in 19 appearances this season.

She is the leading scorer in the history of the Women's Super League. Manchester City claimed its first league title since 2016.

The club's championship was confirmed after Arsenal dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Brighton. That result came in the first of three matches in hand for the third-placed side and meant Arsenal could no longer catch Manchester City. Arsenal's defense of its Women's Champions League title had ended the previous week after a semi-final loss to Lyon.