Encounter with Tom Cruise at the 2024 Olympics: Chelsea legend surprised by unexpected family gathering with Hollywood actor

After spending 12 successful years leading Chelsea women to numerous trophies, Hayes made her debut as head coach of the USWNT at the Olympics. Under her guidance, the team had reached the final at Paris' Parc des Princes, where they were set to face Brazil.

Ahead of his abseiling appearance at the closing ceremony a day later, Cruise was among the celebrating USA fans.

Tom Cruise ambushed by Emma Hayes' family at Olympics

Hayes tells FFT: “He was in the box next door to my family, and my mum went to introduce herself. His security said, ‘Yeah, he’ll come and have a photo with Emma’s mum, no problem’.

"As he went in, all of my sisters were there and all of my nieces and nephews – Tom walked in and said, ‘I thought you said a photo with mum, not the whole family!’”

Smiling at the absurdity of it all, Hayes continues: “He met my sisters and they all had a chat, grabbed a photo and had a Hollywood moment with him. They absolutely loved it.

"I never got to meet him, but I got all of the videos. I said to mum, ‘How was that?’ She said, ‘Well, it was lovely to meet him, but it would have been nice if it was Kevin Costner…’ She likes watching Yellowstone. I said, ‘All right, I’ll save the Kevin Costner appearance for another time, mum!’”

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Though she's now an international manager, Hayes’ seven league titles, achieved in the space of just nine seasons, puts her five clear of any other manager in WSL history. Her record could stand for a very long time.

She also won five FA Cups and FIFA’s Best Women’s Coach award for 2021, the year she led Chelsea to their first Women’s Champions League final.

The time for change had slowly been approaching, however. Asked whether she would still be Chelsea boss had the USA job not come along, she admits that she’s unsure.

“I don’t know,” she says. “I do genuinely feel like I’d given everything I could to Chelsea – I don’t think I could have given another part of myself. I think that was done. But I still have to keep working, and I want to keep pushing myself. It just felt like it was the right time, the right job.”