Hello! This is a translatorn of the podcast Magda did a while ago. It’s not completely word by word but almost. Feel free to put it in a post and share it with everyone.
Närkampen podcast with Magdalena Eriksson
Interviewer: Welcome Magdalena Eriksson, former Chelsea defender, now Bayern Munich defender and often also national team captain. Welcome to the podcast “Närkampen”. How are you today?
Magda: Thank you. I’m doing good. A bit tired from the match yesterday but otherwise good.
I: Goalscorer again yesterday.
M: Yes (laughs), what’s happening? It’s been special/different for me to score this many goals. I don’t know the last time I scored this many goals. It’s fun.
I: It (the goal scoring) comes from experience and a good forehead on top of that?
Magda: Exactly (laughs). And good deliveries I have to say.
I: In “Närkampen” we start with a warm up where I start a couple of sentences and you will finish them. Are you ready?
I: I feel my best when I…
M: …Have won a football game and played well.
I: Something I think is important is…
M: …The people around me. To have good people around me both when it comes to football but also privately.
I: For me it can be tough to manage…
M: …Adversity like losses, injuries and bad performances.
I: Some of my biggest inner driving forces are…
M: …I love to win. I love to develop and the feeling of doing something together with people you care about, so winning together with a team and having developed together as a team.
I: For me football means…
M: … It’s my life. I have dedicated my life to football. I live and breathe football every day so it means everything.
I: An event that has had a big impact on my career…
M: … I actually think the season when Emma Hayes made me the captain of Chelsea. I think a lot can be traced back to that one decision she made and it has meant a lot for my career.
M: … To feel good and secure in my own skin. Good confidence. Belief in my own abilities and what I can do.
I: A decision or action I regret is…
M: …I regret very little in my life and career but maybe all those times I won “the yellow card league” when I played in Damallsvenskan in the beginning (laughs).
I: The hardest period of my life was…
M: … I had a tough period where I had been injured and wasn’t confident in my football abilities and I was coming into an Olympics and had pretty much been out injured for 6 weeks leading up to it. I lost myself a little and was doubting myself.
I: Something I aim to achieve is…
M: … To continue my personal development. To work on myself and get better. I know I will never reach what I consider perfection but I always want to find ways to get even more secure in myself and get more out of myself. I don’t know exactly what that is but that is what I strive for.
I: Now the warm up is done. How was it? Did you find any of the questions difficult?
M: It was good. It was difficult to come up with a dark period. I don’t think there has been a specific period in my career that has been especially hard but it goes up and down all the time. That’s what’s so nice about football. You can go from the top to the bottom really fast because of for example an injury or a few bad performances.
I: You left Chelsea pretty recently after many years there and you were also the captain. In my eyes that’s a pretty significant move. How was it?
M: I started to feel in my body and my head that it was soon time for a new challenge. I also started counting down on my “career clock”. I don’t have that many years left. I knew my contract was soon up and felt it was the perfect time to experience something new, to challenge myself, get out of my comfort zone and test my limits and still be able to be on the high level I want it to be. Then to also have a few years to prove myself in the new club. For me this is about challenging myself again and trying something new. A new country and a new type of football.
I: So it was you who actively sought out a new challenge?
M: Yes, I would say that. Of course it’s not that simple and it was a really hard decision to leave Chelsea. I have so many good memories from my time in Chelsea and had so many beautiful years. But I think you develop a lot as a football player and as a person when you try new things and challenge yourself. That’s what it was about for me but it was a hard decision. In hindsight I feel like it has been good for me to try a new country and challenge myself and know that I still can come to a new place and still perform and get into things there pretty quickly.
I: You mentioned that being the Chelsea captain had a big impact on your career. Emma Hayes gave you the armband in 2019 I think. Was the decision to leave harder when you’ve got that responsibility?
M: Yes, I think so. To have the armband means having a bigger responsibility and a bigger role in the team. You’re expected to communicate a lot with the coach and are given other official responsibilities from the club. I don’t know if it was because I was in Chelsea for a long time or because of the captaincy but I became extremely close with the fans and the club in itself. The club is doing a lot of cool things and has done a lot for the development of women’s football both in England and the world. There are many things that make me feel strongly connected to Chelsea and that made the decision to leave harder of course. At the same time I was completely convinced the club would do well without me (laughs) and I knew there were many leaders in the team to take over when I left.
I: Now you’re with Bayern Munich. You won yesterday and scored a goal. What is it about a new city and a new club that makes you develop? I mean since you’re already pretty experienced.
M: I’ve been in football for a long time now. I was in Chelsea for 6 years. I don’t like feeling like I’m stagnating or getting too comfortable. It didn’t feel like that in Chelsea though because new things happened every season and the league improved a lot. But it is something about the idea of being taken away from what you know and being put somewhere new where you have to find strategies for how to act in the beginning to fit in as quickly as possible. I had a 1,5 week preseason and then the season started. I had to perform right away and adapt to a new team, new coach, new voice, new playing system. You learn a lot about yourself. You learn what you need to improve to adapt even better. Then when you’ve come out at the other end you feel really strong and have a boosted confidence. That’s how I felt when I went from Linköping to Chelsea and I feel the same way now that I’ve gone from Chelsea to Bayern.
I: You said before that the clock is ticking. Where are you in your career right now?
M: I’m extremely aware that my days are numbered (laughs). That sounds dramatic. We, or I signed a three year contract with Bayern. Now I’ve almost finished one year of that contract. I will be 33-34 when that contract ends and then I guess I will evaluate my situation then. It’s a new situation to feel that the end of a contract could mean the end of my career - but it doesn’t have to. It could, but it all depends on your motivation, how your body feels and what possibilities you have. So it’s a new situation. I think these thoughts started when I turned 30.
I: Do you mean sort of like a 30-year crisis?
M: (Laughs). Yes, a little bit. Unfortunately you can’t keep on playing forever even though I would have really liked to. Now it’s about evaluating my motivation and my body year by year and see how long I want to continue. I’m actually also excited about my career after football. It doesn’t feel scary, it feels exciting.
I: I’ve talked to other players who don’t want to think about their careers coming to an end. But it seems like you have thought about it a lot. How does that affect you?
M: I’m a planner. I want to have a plan. I know I have 3 years here and then potentially a few more years, we‘ll see. Then when my football career ends I want a plan for what I want to do. If I didn’t have a plan for that I would be stressed out and start to panic. I have decided I want to continue to work in football in some way. I am motivated to have a new role and go from being a player to become a coach or work in an organization in some way. It feels fun but of course also a little bit scary and a little bit sad. I still have a few more years left to enjoy.
I: Nadine Kessler quit playing football pretty early and now she’s leading the section for women’s football in UEFA. Would you want to do something like that?
M: I have no idea. As I said I’m 100 % sure I will stay in football but in what role will probably be decided after my football career. I think I will need to try different roles. I’m also really interested in coaching. I think we need more women’s coaches in women’s football and more coaches with experience from their own playing careers so that is inspiring. It also sounds inspiring to work in an organization or have a bigger role in developing women’s football. I’m open to suggestions.
I: How can you be so sure you want to continue to work within football?
M: This is what I know. I’m interested in a lot of things and could probably become something else but I think football is so incredibly fun. My love for football has been a constant through my entire career. No matter how I’ve been doing and what I’ve been feeling I’ve always loved football and that has been one of my biggest driving forces. I also like to watch all types of football and analyze a lot so I feel like this is what I know and want to continue to do.
I: You talk about becoming a coach or working in an organization and something I associate strongly with you is leadership. Where do your leadership qualities come from?
M: I don’t know. My dad was my coach when I was between 6 and 13 years old, very formative years. He likes to educate and has strong values and morals for how to behave in a team and to help others. So I think i have him to thank for a lot of it. He always talked about treating others the way you yourself want to be treated and leading by example. These have always been his core values and I think among what’s most important as a leader: To see everyone and put yourself in their shoes but also make sure you yourself do what you ask of others.
I: How is Magdalena Eriksson as a leader?
M: I take a lot of responsibility for my own performance. I have high expectations on myself and try to be as accurate as I can when I play and have a high lowest level. I also expect a lot from my environment and try to constantly think about things we can do better or develop. Then also the human perspective which I feel is the part I have developed the most in my leadership from being captain in Linköping to being captain in Chelsea. As captain in Chelsea I understood that we have a team of pretty much 23 national team players and 11 of them train their asses off but don’t get a lot of playing time but you want them to understand how important they are to the team. I developed that part of my leadership in Chelsea - to see that everyone in a team is equally important and everyone plays a part in the team so that we in the end lift the trophy in may. That’s become really important to me: To make everyone in a team feel valuable.
I: Are there any parts of your leadership you want to continue to develop?
M: I think it’s about never getting too comfortable. Let’s say we play well with Bayern and win. We shouldn’t be satisfied with that but instead always try to find areas to develop both for myself and also for example the cooperation within the back line and with the goalkeeper. Also how the team as a whole can take a new step. The motivation for that goes up and down depending on how tired I am mentally.
I: How quickly did you get a natural role as a leader in Bayern Munich? Was it the first day or did it take a while?
M: Haha no it takes a while and for me it’s important that it happens naturally. It’s also important to me to build relationships before I come in and say “We used to do it like this in Chelsea or I think we should do it like this”. In the beginning in Bayern Munich I just wanted to be like a sponge and learn how things work here and what the routines look like. We have a fantastic captains group of 3 players I look up to a lot and they are doing a great job. It’s been about finding my role and what I can contribute with. It’s happened naturally step by step and now I feel like I have a great role that I’m happy with. I have good contact with Glodis who is our captain and she is an amazing person and has a lot of similar values as I have. I also have good communication with our coach Alex who is an extremely ambitious coach and always wants us to get better and is never satisfied. So it feels like I’ve found a good role.
I: In the national team you’re also sometimes captain. You’re one of several captains. How do you see yourself as a leader in the national team?
It’s a bit different in a national team. You are together for 10 days and then you part ways. You don’t have as much time… It’s not a process in the same way as it is in a club where you can work together week in, week out on specific details. In the national team it’s more like we are together for 10 days and we have to perform right away. How do we do that in most optimal way? I just try to be the same person as I am in the club but my role in the national team has grown over the years. Now I’m one of the most experienced senior players and that means I try to take even more responsibility and help guide the new young players. That’s something I’ve started thinking about more actively during the last few years - to take on an even bigger role. We had a lot of older players in the national team when I was new and they took on that role but when they leave, other people have to fill those roles.
I: I’ve heard many times that there is a great atmosphere in the Swedish national team and that that’s a big reason for your success. Could there be a contradiction between the friendly atmosphere and the high demands that’s needed to compete with the best in the world?
M: We have actually talked about that. We have a sports psychologist, Rasmus who comes with us to every camp. We sometimes talk about how having too friendly of an atmosphere can cause you to feel uncomfortable when you have to tell someone off. For me I think you can have a good atmosphere, treat each other with respect and have a good time together outside the pitch. We can keep that but on the pitch there has to be an extremely high ceiling. I like environments where I can yell and tell people off on the football pitch and know that the girls know I mean well and just want us to get better. I can even have had discussion with someone on the pitch and then know we’ll leave that conversation on the pitch. This is one of the things we’ve pointed out as things to improve: to get even better at telling each other off and holding each other accountable. I think we’re working on it and it’s getting better but of course I understand that now when we have lot of new younger players they can’t be expected to come in and be demanding right away. But it’s something we’re working on.
I: There were a few headlines after the last national team camp. Kosovare Asllani said that Rosa Kafaji has to work on her defensive abilities. Is that to have high demands and being a good leader according to you?
M: The funny thing is that I don’t read media so this is completely new to me. I don’t know exactly what has been said so I can’t comment on this specific situation. But I think that’s the kind of dialogue you have to have within a team. Kosse has played for the national team for a very long time and has a lot of experience. Rosa has come in now and is an amazing and exciting player but she should of course have Kosse as her mentor and listen to what she has to say. In the same way I can help the younger upcoming center backs and share my experience with them. What is and isn’t being said to media is another topic but it is really important that us older players are mentors to the younger players. It’s also important that the younger players see us as mentors and value our experience and knowledge.
I: I think it’s pretty natural that the older players lead the younger players. Some of you have played together for such a long time. How are you with each other, you and Kosse for example? Can you lead each other?
M: Absolutely. Me and Kosse are extremely different as people and I think we are a good mix. Kosse leads a lot with her playing style and has a high belief in herself. She is outspoken and just generally a cool person. I’m really reflective and I maybe don’t have the same self-confidence that Kosse has but I have grown from experience and the trust I’ve gotten from Peter. Together I think we can see the entire group and work together in our leadership.
I: Is that really true about your self-confidence? When I’ve talked to you over the years I’ve gotten the impression that you have a really good self-confidence?
M: That’s maybe what I exude but it has taken a lot of time for me to feel like I deserve to play on the highest level and to feel like I’m good enough to play on the highest level. For me that self-confidence has come after I got to this level. It wasn’t there from the beginning. I have always been a bit shocked that I have reached this level. I might exude more confidence than I’ve actually got but it has been something I’ve had to work on a lot during my career and I still have to work on it a lot.
I: I’ve heard you say before that when you were young there were bigger talents than you but that your biggest talent maybe is the will to develop. How has that impacted you, having to work so hard for a long time?
M: I think that’s a reason why I maybe don’t have that inner self-confidence. I am really hard on myself and have always been. I have become a lot nicer to myself over the years. When I was younger and made one mistake that lead to goal I could go home and cry the entire evening and feel like “Now it’s over, this is the end”. I took adversities extremely hard. I’ve really had to work on that a lot. I am a perfectionist, want so much and want to develop all the time but that can go too far. It was like that when I was younger at least. Now it’s a lot better. I feel more secure and confident in myself. Of course this can come from not being perceived as the biggest talent even though I of course was a big talent and an important player for Enskede where I grew up. But it has taken time to build up my belief in myself.
I: You also take a stand and say your opinion about important topics? Where does that come from?
M: I think a lot can be traced back to my upbringing in general. My dad has such a strong integrity and has passed that on to me and my sister. He thinks it’s important to stand up for what you believe in. He has told me many times during my career and now that he thinks it’s awesome that I dare to speak out about what I believe in. So I think it’s come from him and has become a main value to me.
I: We live in a complicated world and you as a role model is asked to take a stand on heavy topics. How do you decide whether you speak out about something or don’t?
M: There hasn’t been any strategy behind that. Us women’s football players are often asked these heavier questions from media and we aren’t forced to take a stand but we have the possibility to do so. It’s a choice for every individual person how much you want to say and if you want to take a stand. The possibility to do so have been offered quite a lot over the years because we are who we are and we get a lot of questions. There hasn’t been any strategy from my side. I have my main topics that I’m really passionate about and if get questions about those I will say my opinion about it. I know where I stand and I know what the point I’m trying to get across is. Then how media decides to spin it and what headlines they choose are out my control. But I’m sure about my values and what my message was so it mostly feels okay. Sometimes it’s feels unfair that people have extremely high expectations on you and it feels like they misunderstand. Mostly I feel like I’ve been proud that I’ve dared to speak my mind.
I: Let’s switch back to the national team. You’re in a pretty difficult group (for the euro qualifiers). What do you think about that challenge?
M: Yes, it feels like we pretty much got the most difficult team from every pot. The matches are inspiring and cool, but also tough. We’re very aware that our road to the euros will be tough. The next camp against Ireland will be incredibly important, especially when we take the loss to France into consideration. We have to prove that we can win these type of matches that we have to win.
I: You’ve had a lot of success in the last international tournaments. There have been discussions about getting medals and that gold medal that’s missing. What do you think about this, looking back?
M: It would be easy to sit here and dwell on an Olympic final or a loss in a World Cup semifinal. But I know that in every tournament we’ve played I feel sure we’ve done everything we can to reach as far as possible. That resulted in Olympic silver and World Cup bronze. In my world we couldn’t have done more than what we did. That’s how it is in football: You do the best you can and then you’ll see how far that gets you. In the last tournaments it has resulted in Olympic silver and World Cup bronze but I’m incredibly proud of those achievements. Mostly because of the way we have done it: How we have treated each other and done everything as a team and worked together during these tournaments. Also generally how we work in the national team. We push each other to get better all the time and have created that culture in the national team. I don’t regret anything but I wouldn’t say no to a gold medal. I still think two World Cup bronze medals and two Olympic silver medals are big achievements.
I: There are future international tournaments. You have those medals from before and you have a team with both leaders and good football players. How do you and the team see the future championships?
M: In football we have such an extremely shortsighted perspective so until now the focus was on the Olympic qualifiers. We didn’t reach the Olympics and now all my focus is on the euro qualifiers. After we’re done with the qualifiers I will start to think about the euros and our possibilities there. But if I just speculate I think it’s really exciting to have the younger generation currently coming into the national team. They are already playing football on a really high level and can become even better. At the same time we still have the 93-generation and 96/97-generation who are also really good. So I think there is still a lot of hope for the national team and the future of the national team.
I: How good is this national team if you compare it to others (earlier versions)?
M: Again really difficult to answer because I have changed so much so it’s hard to compare. I think we have an extremely homogeneous national team right now since there are many technical and physically strong players. So I think we have the quality to play the kind of football that Peter wants us to play. It’s really cool that there is quality in all positions. There is also quality players in every position that aren’t starting and they are always ready. So we have big possibilities and that feels great.
I: In the “warm up” you talked about what you need to perform. You said family is important. In what way is family important?
M: Good energy. Pernille is incredibly important when it comes to that. She and I have grown together since we were 20 years old in Linköping. We were both really fresh, especially me with my not so great confidence. We have worked on ourselves and now 10 years later we’re here and have gone through everything together in a way. Her support has made me extremely strong and it still strengthens me a lot. Also my family, friends and teammates: It’s really important to be around good people.
I: Pernille Harder also plays for Bayern Munich now. Was it a sure thing that you would go there together?
M: Not a sure thing but we have come to a point in our careers where we know that’s how we can best perform. We were in a different stage when Pernille left for Wolfsburg and I left for Chelsea. Back then we had to go for what was available for each of us. We were in different stages of our careers. Then we ended up in Chelsea together and felt like being on the same team is how we get the most out of ourselves. If it hadn’t been possible for us both to go to Bayern Munich or somewhere else we of course wouldn’t have chosen a worse alternative just to be able to be together. But we thought Bayern Munich was the perfect alternative because they needed reinforcement both in the back and at the front and is still one of the best teams in Europe so it felt perfect.
I: You support each other and you both play on the highest level. You said before that your career can be over in a few years. Will you make the decision to quit together or will you make different decisions on when to end your careers? I think football players generally make the decision to end their career in very different ways.
M: I think that will be a very individual decision. It will also depend on a lot of different things. For me it will be about whether I have motivation, think it’s fun and how my body feels. Those three things are probably the most important questions I will start asking myself when I feel like my career is coming to an end. Now I still feel like my motivation is high and my body feels good after an injury. But those are the things I will evaluate and Pernille will have different questions to ask herself. So we’ll see. It will be completely individual I think.
I: Your former coach Emma Hayes said that (romantic) relationships between players in a team are problematic. Now she has apparently taken it back. What did you think when you heard that?
M: My first reaction was that I was really shocked that she had said that. I also said this when I got this question before: We have never experienced any problems with Emma and we have worked together, me, Pernille and Emma for three years and me and Emma for six years. You can of course have issues with individuals in a team and if individuals handle things in an unprofessional way it’s something completely different.
I: How did you feel when you heard about Marika Domanski Lyfors?
M: It’s awful. She means so much to our national team. She’s always been there ever since I came into the national team. She’s always been a part of Swedish women’s football. Now she’ll have to go through something really tough and it’s important to us to show her that we’re there for her and that she’s not alone. It was terrible news to get and you wish you could be there for her physically. It’s important that we support her through it.
I: How do you support each other in a national team since you live in different places all over the world?
M: It’s about always having a constant connection. You can always call or send a text. There are many ways to support someone who goes through something hard. I sent her at text and wished her luck and let her know we’re there for her and think about her all the time. The entire national team has probably done the same thing so I hope it gives Marika strength.
I: What’s Magdalena Eriksson’s short term goal right now?
M: To win the league and the cup. To get through the nations league in the best possible way but mostly to win the next two matches against Ireland.
I: I’m so curious about the future. I you could guess now, what role will you have in ten years?
M: I believe in growing with experience. That’s what I’ve been doing my entire career. I won’t end my career and then right away think I’m ready to be the head coach of Chelsea. That’s not how I work. I think I will want to start as an assistant coach somewhere or to coach a youth team. I want to get a lot of experience and see if the coaching job is as fun as I expect it to be. But also to get a lot of experience and training in actually being a coach. You know this better than anyone but I think it’s a lot more difficult than us players think. So assistant coach somewhere, nothing super flashy or glamorous. That’s how I think things will turn out.
I: What about in 20 years? What team will you be coaching then?
M: Then the entire world is open. I could definitely imagine becoming the coach of Chelsea, Bayern Munich or the Swedish national team. That’s how I am as I person. If I go for something I want to do it 100% and will want to become the best coach. I have no idea whether I have a talent for it or not so that remains to be seen.
I: The Chelsea job is actually free right now. If they called and needed an assistant coach, would you go for it?
M: No, that’s absolutely not where my mindset or career is right now but maybe in 10 years.
I: This was a “närkamp” (duel) and you’re good at that on the football pitch. I don’t know what you think about this “närkamp” (duel)?
I: Very good. Thank you so much for sharing, it’s very appreciated.
