With the ladies game in Italy reaching ever new heights, Juventus Women defender Petronella Ekroth winds up her first season in Turin on the cusp of a Serie A title, a move which was very easy to agree to.
A new attendance record for women’s football was set in the peninsula was set when the Bianconere took on Fiorentina Women’s at the Allianz Stadium a week ago, with 39,000 fans cheering their team on to a 1-0 win, an event which along with other such records in Europe, shows the development of the women’s game.
Ekroth sat down with Forza Italian Football to talk about what it is like playing for one of the world’s biggest clubs, what made the biggest impression on her when she arrived in Italy, and the pressure at Juve to succeed.
What was it like coming over from Sweden to Italy in your first move abroad as a 29-year-old?
“It’s been hard to move alone, but I’ve always been alone moving in Sweden to different cities, so I’m kind of used to it. It’s a big difference moving to a different country, not just because you are alone, but there is the different culture, language, and so many other things you need to think about which are easier in Sweden. I’ve learned a lot and I’m still learning, so I think it is a very good experience for me. Even if I talk every day [to my friends and family], it’s not the same as having someone here. I think you become very strong, and I think it’s positive in that kind of way.”
A bit of a silly question coming up. Why did you decide to leave Sweden at 29 years old after spending your entire career there and join Juventus?
“Firstly, I didn’t have any specific thoughts about leaving to go to Italy and join Juve. I got a call from my agent, and she said Juventus were interested in having me, so then I started to think about it, actually I didn’t even think, I was like of course I want to [go]. I don’t know, it just felt like the right time to go. I had offers before but I didn’t feel it was the right time to leave [Sweden], but this summer I felt like I know how to play football in Sweden, playing with a lot of different teams, and had experienced a lot of different things, and I just felt that I wanted to develop more as a player, and also as a person. I wanted to take things to the next step, so it was easy to make the decision then everything moved so fast. Of course it’s a great honour to have them [Juventus] ask to sign me, and it was easy to just say ‘yes’.
“I didn’t know that much about Italian football, and I took a step into something I didn’t know much about, but I have alway been that kind of person that if I have the right feeling and want to try something I do, and I think you always learn from it and if it isn’t the best, or if you don’t like it, you can always go back home or do something else. I don’t want to look back on my life and regret that I didn’t do things, or I didn’t take the chance.”
You mentioned that you didn’t follow Italian football much, so growing up, what leagues did you follow?
“I’m the kind of person that loves football, but I watch every type of football. I don’t just watch English, Spanish, French, or Swedish. For me, if I think it’s a good game, I’ll watch it. So I can’t say I have a specific country or league that I follow, more everything. Not even a specific player either. I am of a person who looks more into the game, how a team plays, more than a special player. Now, I’ve been watching a lot of Italian football and I try to go to every Juventus game that I can. It’s fun to see players I didn’t know much about before.”
That’s quite an Italian outlook on football, focusing on how the team plays rather than focussing on one specific player.
“When I was injured I focussed a lot on analytics and worked with analysing football, so my football brain was developing even when I wasn’t playing. I think my interest started there, when I was analysing football more, and finding what can be done better, what you did well, and what you can work on more as a team, and I think that is more interesting than focussing on one player.
When you came to Juventus, who are the best run team in Italy by a country mile, what was the thing that struck you most?
“That was a big, not surprise because I understand that Juventus are a big club, but I didn’t really understand how big and how popular Juventus are among the people, and how many supporters they have. That was really interesting. The facilities are fantastic and you have everything you need to become a good player. They gym, the pitch, and you have a large staff around the team to help with everything, all the time, which is a big difference [to Sweden]. So you have everything you need to become a better player I would say, and that was a really big step for me, and I really enjoy to be able to focus on the football and not think about anything else.”
I spoke to Stephanie Öhrström [Fiorentina Women’s goalkeeper] and she said the attitude to women’s football is about 20 years behind that in Sweden. Do you agree with that assessment?
“She’s been here for a lot of years, so I can understand how she felt in some way when she came here. I think it’s been developing a lot in the last few years, and I feel that women’s football is developing a lot in Italy. I can only speak from a Juventus point of view, and don’t feel we’re any different to the men. We have all the support we need, and I think they are focussing a lot on us, when it comes to media and PR. When it comes to the football, the league is more equal in Sweden. The difference between the top and bottom isn’t much, while here [Italy] there is a big difference between the best team and the team at the bottom. I would say that is the biggest difference, but you can really feel that Italy is working on it.”
You described yourself as a defender/midfielder. You are now in the home of great defenders, is there anything you’ve learnt, looking at some of the past or present defenders at Juventus?
“I’ve been watching a lot of the men’s games. I think it’s fun to focus on your position, as well as others. I been watching [Leonardo] Bonucci and [Giorgio] Chiellini a lot, and they are very different in their way of playing. But I think you can take a lot from both of them, and mix it together, then you have something very good, which is why I think they are so good at the back. Chiellini is so passionate when he plays, and always gives 150 percent in every situation and I think that is inspiring to see. Bonucci is more calm with the ball, and I like his passing. I would say I am more like Bonucci in the kind of way, as I love having the ball and building up the play, but I can also learn a lot from Chiellini.”
Looking at the season so far. After making it into the Champions League, but lost to Brondby in the first round. What happened?
“That’s what I’m wondering as well. Of course it is a big disappointment that we didn’t make it through the first round. In some way it’s sad we didn’t go further in the Champions League, but we can also learn a lot from it, and hopefully next year we will have played a lot of other European teams before the season starts, as I think Italian football needs to learn from other European leagues. The football is very different, when I compare Sweden to Italy. We played against Arsenal and Chelsea before the season began, and it was hard, so if we play more of those games we can become a better team. It wasn’t the best start but hopefully we will do better next year.”
What do you think Juventus need to do to get to the level of Wolfsburg or Lyon and get to a Champions League final?
“That’s a hard question. I understand that Lyon and Wolfsburg are really good, though I haven’t seen them live or played against them. We played against Arsenal, who I think are one of the best teams now, this year. They were really good and we have a lot to learn from that game. We need to be faster in our passing, in building up play, and be tougher in defence. So, I think it’ll take a while, but also Juventus as a club feels like they have high goals and they always want to win, they have everything they need to be a winning team, but it’s also just in the beginning. If you look at the teams at the top, they have been around for a while. Chelsea for example, who are maybe not the same as last year, but they have been working together as a team for a long time. This is only the second year Juve have been together. We just need to be patient and develop every year. I think we will get there of course, but it is hard to say when.”
Do you have the same pressure as the men’s team to win? Juve won Serie A at the first attempt, so do you think that there will be more pressure next season to do well in Europe?
“Yeah, I think so, definitely. It felt like this year before and during the Champions League, of course you do your best, but it is also the first time we have played in it so we have to learn from it and we have a lot to work on, but I think next year we will have had another year to get better and prepare for the Champions League. So I think the expectations will be higher, and I think everyone wants to go further than this year of course.”
You only have a one-year deal, so do you think you will be there next season?
“I have no idea. We will see.”
Do you want to stay, is maybe a better question?
“I really like the club, and everything here, so we will see what happens.”
Who has been your toughest opponents this season in Serie A?
“I think it’s been Fiorentina and AC Milan. We played against Fiorentina more because of the Supercoppa, but I think those two will be the hardest teams to beat.”
Going to the Ballon d’Or, and the controversy surrounding Ada Hegerberg, what did you make of it all?
“In some ways it is sad that it happened, but in others it is also good that it happened. Because judging by the reaction, you could see that everyone, whether it’s a male or female player, deserves respect and recognition, so I think it was good that it happened because people understand that women are taking more of a place in the world. Maybe some years ago we weren’t at that point, but a lot has been happening with #MeToo so it feels like women are stronger and they don’t take any sh*t anymore. That is positive progress and it’s very cool to see how women are getting more and more powerful.”
That fits nicely into Together We Play Strong, and you are an ambassador for the campaign. So tell the people about the We Play Strong project.
“Together We Play Strong wants to inspire girls and young women to play football and to show them how it is to be a professional footballer. That you can do other things apart from playing football all the time. For me it is an honour to be part of the project and to inspire women to play football, and to get more girls into football, because we need more girls to play football. It was so cool to see Atletico Madrid getting 50,000 fans for a women’s match in Spain, and that says a lot about how women’s football is developing and how it is getting stronger, and more and more interesting. So it’s a really cool project to be involved in.”
How did you get into football? Who inspired you?
“I don’t know, I’ve always been playing football for as long as I can remember. My mum played football, my dad played hockey, and my brother plays football, so we have always been a very sporty family and it was natural to take up a sport, and football has always been natural. We always played it at school, and always played it after school. It’s always been fun and I love the game. I can’t explain how I started and why, I think it’s so fun. I always wanted to be better and be the best, so that motivated me to train hard and get where I am today.”
Petronella is part of UEFA’s dynamic content creator squad for its new-look, always-on Together #WePlayStrong YouTube channel. Follow Petronella as she shares her adventures on and off the field, vlogging about her move to Juventus to showcase what life is like playing with one of Europe’s biggest teams in the Serie A Women.
