A Champions League title and a salvaged WC bronze. Then a knee operation awaited Fridolina Rolfö, which kept her away from football for several months.
– It has been up and down. It was my first long-term injury and new challenges for me, to say the least. Now it wasn’t about winning the next match, but about being able to bend my knee a little – or walk again. It was tough, says Rolfö to SVT Sport.
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Was it a bit like playing a match against yourself?
– A little. I had to test my psyche and it has been very interesting. It became my own struggle, because I love to train and develop and constantly get better.
“Was in incredible pain”
During the WC, the question of the injured knee constantly came up. But there was nothing that bothered Rolfö.
– What took energy was the pain and how I felt in all the matches. It was something I struggled with throughout the WC and I wondered how it would feel during the matches. I was in so much pain and needed to do different things for it to work, she says.
She has done the rehab together with superstar Alexia Putellas.
– It has been nice to have her. we have had similar injuries and have helped each other and trained together. It was extra special because we came back at the same time too.
“I aim for and want to be involved”
Now the body feels good – and even if Sweden will miss the Olympics, an EC qualifier awaits here and on Wednesday Peter Gerhardsson will take out his squad.
– It remains to be seen. We’ll see how the coming weeks are, but I’m betting on being selected. Then they get to decide if I’m in or not, I aim for it and want to be in.