EXCLUSIVE - Cuthbert Opens Up on Chelsea Dominance, Argentina Pain and Her Latest Venture
Erin Cuthbert's Exclusive Interview with Football Park - Scotland
She's a Chelsea star and Scotland international with over 20 major trophy wins and 86 caps for her country. She was the joint-top scorer for her nation as Scotland qualified for their first-ever World Cup, made her SWPL debut at the age of just 15 and, on top of all of that, she is a new entrepreneur armed with a masters degree in business.
Of course, we are talking about Chelsea and Scotland icon Erin Cuthbert, who recently sat down with Football Park Scotland's Scots With a Mic podcast to engage in a tell-all interview.
Speaking with Fin and James, the 27-year-old midfielder discussed all manners of her career for club and country, offering an exclusive look behind the scenes of Chelsea's period of domination, her aspirations both on and off the pitch and everything in between.
Want to hear more of FP Scotland's chat with a Scotland great? Keep your eyes peeled on the Football Park - Scotland Instagram and the Scots With a Mic podcast for our full interview!
Cuthbert: "When You're At Chelsea, You're Always Going to Compete for Trophies"
Erin Cuthbert has enjoyed a period of domination across the Women's Super League and domestic cup competitions during her decade-long stint in East London.
Since joining in December 2016 from Glasgow City, the midfielder has racked up an astonishing 7 WSL title wins, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, a Community Shield and was a runner-up in the 2020-21 Champions League final against Barcelona.
Guro Reiten curls one in to give Chelsea the lead over UWCL holders Lyon.
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 22, 2023
Erin Cuthbert with the nutmeg in the lead up 💫
(Via @DAZNFootball)pic.twitter.com/bZtuQdkqdb
She has enjoyed a glittering career that any footballer worth their salt would strive to achieve, but the severity of her achievements were truly washed over her this season as Manchester City brought an end to Chelsea's run of six-straight league titles this term:
"Everyone I speak to says I'm so spoiled!" Cuthbert said.
"They say I don't realise that [Chelsea's dominance] is not normal, but for me, for ten years, that has been normal. Winning the league so many times, FA Cup finals, progressing really late into the Champions League. The League Cup finals as well, that has been normal.
"It's been a period of dominance. But me and the people who have been in it for a long time do see it as normal. But when I step outside the bubble, this season has made me realise that it's actually not normal to do what we did.
"We almost got into a period where we didn't quite realise how good we had it. Because you don't realise that winning has become sort of expected. But when you get it taken away from you, it makes you realise that oh, this isn't the norm. And it makes you want it more, makes you want to take it back."
Touching on her last point, Cuthbert went on to describe the challenge that lies ahead for Chelsea if they are to return to the period of dominance that they have enjoyed over the last decade or so.
"We've got a really big season [ahead] and some really big boots to fill. But that's the thing about a club like Chelsea, they always find a way to keep innovating and to stay at the very top. So I've got no doubt that the club are going to do that.
"It's special." 💙
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) March 15, 2026
Erin Cuthbert reacts to Chelsea winning the Women's League Cup 🏆 pic.twitter.com/1UmL6g6c9o
"It's hard to replicate the players that you've lost, and I don't think you ever can. You just have to find new ways of adapting. But I know that, when you're at Chelsea, you're always going to be competing for trophies.
"As long as you're at a club that is going to continue to push you to be the best you can, then you know you're in a good place."
How 'Boring' Team Meetings Sparked Cuthbert's New Business
On top of her career as a professional footballer, Cuthbert has recently sparked off a new adventure into the world of business with the launch of her coffee brand, Ruby Alba.
Although she claimed to have hated the drink initially, the need for invigoration was needed in order for the Irvine-born star to power through the team meetings led by Swede Anna Signeul.
"I always drink coffee. I'm obsessed!
"It all started with the manager, Anna Signeul, for the national team 10 years ago. She used to have like hour-and-a-half long meetings - sorry, Anna, if you're listening!
"But she used to have these super-long meetings and I thought, right, I'm going to need a coffee to survive this. [She's] a great coach, a great gaffer, but the meetings were... obscenely long.
ERIN CUTHBERT SCORES ON HER 300TH APPEARANCE FOR CHELSEA!! 🤩
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) May 10, 2026
🔵 1-0 ⛵️ [9'] #CFCW pic.twitter.com/z3b25T3iDD
"So I started trying coffee, and I hated the taste of it. I just drank it because everybody did and that's what kept me awake! Started with the caramel lattes, like everybody does. I slowly acquired the taste."
Cuthbert then went on to describe how her journey around the world as a professional footballer allowed her to gather the spark needed for her new business venture.
"I started trying actually decent coffee. Travelling all over the world with football and trying all these different blends, I thought I could try and combine business with an actual love for coffee.
"Ruby comes from my gemstone month, which is July, and Alba comes from Scotland. Because everyone knows how much I love Scotland.
"And then we started Ruby Alba! [We're] just recently launching - we're launching today, actually, on the pod as we speak! So yeah, it's a really exciting time. [We've] got so many different blends for people to try.
"All the girls in the national team have trialled it. So if you don't like it, don't blame me, blame the girls!"
Cuthbert Reflects on World Cup Heartbreak
Erin's time with the Scotland national team has taken her through the highs and lows brought with international football.
The midfielder is the country's vice-captain, alongside Real Madrid's Caroline Weir, and was their joint-top-scorer with Jane Ross as Scotland qualified for their first-ever World Cup in 2019, where she was picked in the squad that travelled to France to play on the global stage.
Scotland, in front of worldwide women's football for the very first time, would suffer an exit in the most heart-breaking of manners. They led Argentina by three goals, with Cuthbert netting the third, which would have seen them progress to the knockout rounds as the fourth-best third-placed team, usurping Nigeria on goal difference.
🗣️ "We had an Ibiza 2026 group chat! That's now changed to USA 2026!"
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) November 19, 2025
Scotland's Erin Cuthbert couldn't stop smiling as she discussed the men's side qualifying for the World Cup! 🏴 pic.twitter.com/re78gkvM7y
However, a goal from Milagros Menendez was followed by an unfortunate own-goal from goalkeeper Lee Alexander, before a 94th-minute penalty from Florencia Bonsegundo completed a remarkable Argentine comeback, ultimately seeing the game end level and Scotland leave the World Cup, inches away from perhaps the most famous win in their history.
It's a memory that Cuthbert herself has tried her hardest to block out, that still invokes an emotional response from her even seven years after the events of the day.
"Oh my god" Cuthbert began.
"I still get a lump in my throat when you talk about that, because I just can't believe how that happened. I've still not watched the game back, and I still cannot watch those highlights.
"It is the only mental block to a football game that I have ever had, and I truly mean that. I've had so many heart-breaking moments with Chelsea, and even bad moments with the national team, but that game is the one that just sticks in my mind.
Two years ago today, Erin Cuthbert scored this iconic goal against FC Barcelona in the UWCL. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GwguoR22OK
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) April 20, 2026
"I just cannot fathom how we let a 3-0 lead slip, with like 15-20 minutes to go. There were so many things that were against us, even when the gaffer made a substitution, the sub hadn't even got into the position and they went and scored from that side, at right-back.
"Even the VAR for the penalty, how it was then re-taken and then they changed the rules following that. Honestly, it truly broke my heart and I couldn't get over it.
"I was embarrassed to show my face in Scotland, I truly mean that. It's still difficult to talk about, and it's why I still have a bitter taste about going to international tournaments, because I truly feel that we have un-finished business."
Catch Our Exclusive Interview with Erin Cuthbert
Want to get the full podcast episode with us and Cuthbert, as she tells us even more about the highs and lows of life as a professional footballer? Head to the Scots With a Mic podcast for the full released episode soon!
Harry Pascoe 
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