It was a long football career overshadowed by injuries and performance anxiety.
Now, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, 27, is Sweden's hottest player.
The windless outside with quick dribbling feet scored two goals when the Swedish women's football team beat Ireland 3-0 in the EM qualifier on Friday.
This is in line with the past season in the English league champion Chelsea. Four goals and six assists were the final tally for Rytting Kaneryd in the Super League – only one player (Lauren Hemp, Manchester City) had more assists.
She likes to play the lead role again when Sweden and Ireland meet again on Tuesday at the Friends Arena in Solna. But it was not self-evident that she would become a key player in the national team a few years ago.
As a 14-year-old, she moved to the ambitious Tyresö, with players like Marta and Caroline Seger in the team, and even sat on the bench in a Champions League final. But then her career hit a snag due to repeated knee injuries and performance anxiety.
This makes her feel that the peak is not at all reached at the age of 27.
This is also the view of Magdalena Eriksson, Bayern Munich's back, who played with Rytting Kaneryd in Chelsea.
It seems that confidence is a key factor. The importance of being able to beat your opponent in one-on-one situations has also been something that Sweden's national coach Peter Gerhardsson has emphasized over several years.
Born: February 12, 1997 (27 years old).
Position: midfielder/forward, mainly on the right.
Club: Chelsea.
Previous clubs: Forsby FF, Tyresö, Älta IF, Djurgården, Rosengård, Häcken.
International caps/goals: 43/5.
Achievements: 2023 World Cup bronze, shared 2022 European Championship bronze, two league titles and one FA Cup win with Chelsea, SM gold with Rosengård, Swedish Cup win with Häcken.
