Despite being a former third-round pick who made a solid contribution with 38 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns across 13 games during his rookie season, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson is one of the rare NFL players who is probably not considered the best athlete in his own family.
That’s because Wilson’s fiancée is US Women’s National Team soccer star Sophia Smith, who has most recently been seen dominating in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She helped lead the U.S. women to the gold medal with Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Brazil. She finished the tournament with three goals and two assists.
While Smith was vying for the gold against Brazil, Wilson is busy with training camp, getting ready for his second season with the Cardinals. And he was asked earlier this week how Smith’s success inspires and motivates him to achieve the same.
Wilson responded with about two full minutes of effusive praise for Smith, her accomplishments, and how hard she works, while noting that the fact that he follows the same steps gives him confidence that he will achieve a similar level of success when given the opportunity.
“I really feel like being with her since I was 18 — she went No. 1 overall pick when I was 19 years old, when she was 19 as well. So, she’s been able to accomplish every single award, basically, that you can get. Minus a few, and I’m sure she’s gonna add a gold medal on Saturday.
“But, No. 1 overall pick, youngest ever MVP, first player born in the 2000s to get a cap with the US Women’s National Team. First player. That’s, like, one in a generation. Basically the first player of our generation. MVP of a national championship [game] in college, plus a national championship. Youngest player to get 50 goal contributions in the WSL. Any stat, any award that you can name outside of the World Cup, she has to her tool belt.
“And how does that reflect on me? It reflects on me because we obviously all heard the saying, ‘You are who you surround yourself with.’ And you are most like the people that you hang out with on a day-to-day. And so, I feel like that is giving me confidence — seeing my fiancée, girlfriend throughout the years, accomplish her goals.
“Because now it’s like, well, if she can do it, then I can do it, too. Because we’re doing the same thing every single day. She goes to training, I go to training. She goes home and rolls out, I go home and roll out. She watches film, I watch film. She goes to training, I go to training. Our schedules are aligned.
“So, I know that I haven’t had as much success as her in my sport, but at least I’m doing the same thing. My process looks the same way. And I know the results will come eventually. It might be this year. It might be three years down the line. But that’s the nature of the game, is you never know when you’re gonna have your big moment. But when it’s your time to shine, I know I am gonna be prepared to capitalize on it.”
Wilson and Smith began dating while students and athletes (Wilson in football, Smith in soccer) at Stanford in 2019, and became engaged in June, prior to Smith and the USWNT’s series of friendlies in advance of the Olympics. You can see the full video of Wilson regaling assembled media with tales of his fiancée’s greatness below.
