England boss pretended to be a boy to play football and has already won Euros

The Lionesses crashed out at the semi-final stage at the last tournament in 2017, losing to the Netherlands who went on to beat Denmark to the trophy.

But in addition to this year's edition taking place on home soil, England have since recruited Wiegman - who masterminded that 3-0 win in the last four on route to securing Dutch glory.

The 52-year-old, who already had a good grasp on what it takes to be successful on the big stage, also revealed she's been sharing ideas with her male counterpart, Gareth Southgate.

Asked about her conversations with Southgate, Wiegman said: "We share experiences. That is nice. I think we care about people.

"Yes, we want to win and you have the best players in the country but you have to have a clear plan and communicate that at all times and also create an environment where players dare to do things.

"You make mistakes, but you learn from mistakes. We had these discussions on how to make winning teams.

"That starts with a safe environment, a clear plan and communication with players. It's also about the quality of the players."

Wiegman's comparisons with Southgate also extend back to their playing days, with both international defenders in their heydays.

Yet it was a lot more of an arduous journey for the Lioness chief, who had to pretend to be a boy to play football as a child in the Netherlands.

"When I started playing football as a six-year-old girl we weren't allowed to play, so I played illegally," she told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

Wiegman added: "I had very short hair, looked a little bit maybe like a boy, my parents were really OK and I had a twin brother, so we just started to play and everyone said that's OK.

"It wasn't normal then and now it's just normal, whether you're a boy or a girl, you can play football and that's just great.

"It was actually crazy before, that you couldn't, but that's just the way it is in development I guess."

As a player, she was handed her international debut at just 17 years old by former Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat in his only game in charge.

Wiegman went onto to become the first Dutch female centurion with an appearance against Denmark in 2001.

After moving into coaching, she's remained a trailblazer having become the first woman to coach with a men's professional club in her homeland.

Wiegman helped Sparta Rotterdam finish seventh during her season-long spell as an assistant in 2016.

Writing in Coaches' Voice, she said: "The players had to get used to me and I had to get used to them, too.

"As the only female coach there, I knew I had to show that I had quality. That's what I worked on all day. Work hard, put quality into everything and deliver.

"It was a new environment for me - the first time I was working with a professional men's team.

"At first, I was always asking myself: am I doing the right things? But I observed how Alex and his coaches worked. Figured things out."

Wiegman's biggest challenge is now taking her side one step closer than their male counterparts and finally bringing football home.

She told talkSPORT: "Of course we hope [we win].

"We are going to do our very best to perform at the highest level and yes there are so many countries who want to win. We want to win too!

"We are going to give everything we can to make the best out of it and finish as high as possible and take it game-by-game."