Canada's Vanessa Gilles ready to hunt for soccer trophies with new club Bayern Munich

CBC Sports

· Posted: May 29, 2025 10:05 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

While winning and having amusive tin often spell manus successful hand, they are not ever synonymous. Just inquire Vanessa Gilles, caller disconnected a palmy shot play filled with unit and precocious expectations playing for a French league powerhouse.

Sure, Lyon went unbeaten successful 24 league and playoff matches and the Canadian planetary played each 90 minutes of a 3-0 triumph implicit Paris Saint-Germain for her 3rd consecutive Women's Champions League title, but determination were trying times.

"Winning a trophy is astir apt the astir amusive you'll ever person successful a career, truthful I don't instrumentality that for granted," the defender told CBC Sports' Andi Petrillo from Winnipeg, wherever she is preparing for Saturday's planetary affable against Haiti with the Canadian nationalist women's team.

"Football-wise, it was precise hard, confidence-wise, getting [in a] bushed and feeling bully connected the pitch. When the anticipation is excellence, it's precise hard to unrecorded up to."

It was an eye-opener, added the 29-year-old Ottawa native, who often needed to punctual herself to bask the game.

"When you person the unit and expectations [placed connected you] to beryllium astatine your best, we're conscionable human," she said, "whether you're Christine Sinclair [the world's apical extremity scorer among some women and men] oregon a 12-year-old. It was a immense reminder for maine this year."

Next season, the unit and expectations volition travel Gilles to Germany, wherever she volition play for FC Bayern Women, which was knocked retired of the Champions League by Lyon successful the quarterfinals. The squad besides cruised to a 3rd consecutive Bundesliga rubric aft finishing the play with a 19-1-2 record.

Gilles, a centre backmost who was calved successful Chateauguay, Que., was sold to Bayern Munich aft 3 seasons with Lyon portion connected indebtedness from Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League. She volition articulation her caller squad July 1 connected a declaration that runs done June 30, 2028.

"If I followed my heart, I would person stayed astatine Lyon," said Gilles. "My champion friends are determination … I emotion the country, I emotion the club, the fans are great.

"But however Bayern made maine consciousness appreciated [during negotiations] made a immense difference."

WATCH | Gilles excited to articulation Bayern, a squad 'striving to beryllium better':

A instrumentality to North America was not an option, Gilles stressed, fixed the existent governmental clime successful the United States, wherever the state is much politically divided than it has been for years. But she didn't regularisation retired playing successful the U.S. oregon Canada erstwhile her declaration expires.

Gilles called Bayern Munich a "team with unthinkable coaches" that enjoys being together, loves winning and plays collectively. Incoming caput manager Jose Barcala was an adjunct with Girondins Bordeaux, Gilles's archetypal squad successful France aft leaving Cypriot nine Apollon Limassol.

"I don't deliberation I've ever enjoyed shot arsenic overmuch oregon felt arsenic assured connected the shot arsenic I person whenever I've played nether [Barcala], learned from him and [participated in] his [daily training] sessions, truthful that's thing I'm excited to get backmost to." Gilles said of the 43-year-old Spaniard.

"I privation to beryllium portion of a squad striving to beryllium better, and to assistance trophies."

WATCH | Gilles leads Canada implicit Mexico astatine Pinatar Cup successful February:

First, she'll cherish teammate and seasoned midfielder Desiree Scott's last quality successful Canadian colours connected Saturday astatine 3 p.m. ET astatine Winnipeg's Princess Auto Stadium.

It volition people headdress No. 188 for Scott, who made her Canadian elder debut successful 2010. Known arsenic "The Destroyer" for her quality to interruption up opposing attacks, the 37-year-old ended a little status to play this play for Ottawa Rapid FC of the Northern Super League.

Scott competed successful 3 World Cups (Germany 2011, Canada 2015, and France 2019) and 3 Olympic Games, winning bronze medals successful London successful 2012 and Rio successful 2016 and golden successful Tokyo successful 2021.

"The stone successful the mediate [of the pitch] that dictates tempo and denies everything," Gilles said of Scott.

"When you play astatine the highest level, having leaders that marque you consciousness seen and heard, and marque you consciousness appreciated and valued, there's not that galore successful the satellite that person that skill.  … and the quality to beryllium empathetic and dainty everybody similar they mean a batch from Day 1."