Coaching a team like the US Women’s National Team is not a piece of cake. Sure, Emma Hayes made it seem effortless by securing Olympic gold in just 81 days. But when it comes to handling the pressure of leading and maintaining the status of a team with such a rich history, the sky’s undeniably the limit. No wonder Hayes draws parallels between managing the USWNT and coaching the Brazilian men’s team.

“Coaching the US in the women’s game is like coaching Brazil in the men’s,” said Hayes, while speaking to Telegraph UK. Undoubtedly, both of these nations have been successful in their own foray. The men’s side of Brazil has rightfully made themselves a brand in the World Cup, winning the award a record five times. Such is the expectation from the South American nation even today, but since 2002, things haven’t been the same for them.

On the women’s side, such was an expectation from Brazilian ladies, but it’s the USWNT that rightfully takes the crown of most World Cups with four triumphs. Though the dream of achieving a ‘Three-peat’ in the 2023 edition wasn’t fulfilled, they still managed to maintain their dominance. The American ladies upheld their reputation in the 2024 Olympics, having clinched their fifth gold under the leadership of Hayes.

It wasn’t like the 47-year-old already had experience on the international front. Everything was new for the English tactician and she was clueless about the kind of challenges she may face. But in the back of her mind, she knew just as the coach of Brazil has the pressure to uphold the legacy of such a storied team, a similar would be the case for Hayes while managing the USWNT.

And boy did she become successful, “I still get a lump in my throat thinking about it,” a feeling Hayes expressed about winning at the Olympics. “I fill up every time. I have dreamt about it. I have played that out on the pitches by the flats in Camden [on the Curnock Street Estate, north London, where she grew up].”

We can only imagine the sense of achievement Hayes feels after accomplishing a gold in her first shot. While she compared leading the USWNT to managing Brazil’s men’s team, does that mean she could coach on the men’s side? Let’s hear it directly from her.

Emma Hayes says ‘Never say never’ over the prospect of coaching a men’s team!

An advocate for women’s rights, the London-born manager surprisingly didn’t rule out the prospect of managing a men’s soccer team. “Coaching a team like Chelsea or the US women’s national team – as far as I’m concerned – is the pinnacle, I don’t need to draw comparisons or talk about the men’s game. I’m so happy doing the job I’m doing in the USA, but I never say never to anything,” she said while speaking to ITV.

It was just recently Emma Hayes highlighted that the men’s side of the beautiful game isn’t ready to hire a female coach. “It just shows you how much work there is to be done,” she exclaimed. Of course, the bafflement is understandable, given how many male coaches are in charge of women’s teams. While this has been witnessed in the case of lower teams, Hayes demands to see the same on the elite stage.

Perhaps that day may come, just like England boss Sarina Wiegman once said, “I think it will happen, I’m not sure how long it will take but I think it would be good,” while also putting the equation of Emma Hayes’ comparison between managing the USWNT and Brazil’s men’s team.