Sweden will be many people’s dark horses at this summer’s Euro 2025 as they look to repeat their 1984 success when they defeated England on penalties at the end of a two-legged final.
That remains the Swedes’ only major honour, with the team enduring a number of near-misses, including two Olympic silver medals, two World Cup third-place finishes and a Euro semi-final in the past decade.
Peter Gerhardsson will have to contend with an aging squad, but he will be able to call on the player that FourFourTwo ranked at no. 5 in the world, who is entering her prime in Chelsea star Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd on her Chelsea journey
The 28-year-old midfielder has been key to the Blues domestic treble this season and recently put pen to paper to sign a new deal that commits her to the club until 2027, but still recalls the call she had back in 2022 when she was at Swedish side Hacken about a potential move.
“I was very flattered, “ she tells FourFourTwo. “There was no doubt: that’s where I wanted to go. After the Euros, I got a call from my agent to say, “Let’s do this.” I was super happy.
With three Women’s Super League titles, two FA Cup wins and a League Cup victory, Rytting Kaneryd has enjoyed a successful time so far at the club, but it is not one these trophy wins that stands out as her highlight with the club.
“The first thing that pops into my mind is all of the trophies we have won,” she continues. “But also the Champions League semi-final in Barcelona last year, when we won the first leg 1-0. That was a special match.
As well as winning a clean sweep of domestic trophies during her time to date in England, Rytting Kaneryd also took home the 2024 Diamond Ball, which is awarded to Sweden’s player of the year.
“It was one of the proudest moments in my life,” she admits. “As a child, you look at those awards and think, ‘One day, one day’.
“My father and I always talked about it, and it wasn’t about if I was going to win it; it was when I was going to win it. It’s something that has been in my mind the whole time, and when I finally won it, it was a big shock.
“I was so surprised and grateful. I was also thinking, ‘OK – everything I’ve been through with the injuries and leaving home at such an early age? It was worth it in the end’.”
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