Facts: Zecira Musovic
Born: May 26, 1996 (age 27) in Falun. Raised in Borlänge, the family moved to Helsingborg when she was five years old.
Position: goalkeeper.
Club: Chelsea.
Parent club: Stattena IF.
Elite clubs: Stattena 2011–12, Rosengård 2012–20, Chelsea 2021–.
A international matches: 11.
Current: Made his championship debut in Sweden’s World Cup opener against South Africa (2–1).
Musovic, Kosovare Asllani and Madelen Janogy are the only players in the Swedish squad with a foreign background.
That made Sunday’s World Cup opener against South Africa even more special for the 27-year-old goalkeeper, who with it got to make his championship debut.
— Above all, I was very grateful. Somewhere it hits you that “damn, I’ve made it to a major championship where I get to represent my country for real”. There were nice feelings that went through my head during the national anthem, I honestly could have stood and cried my way through it, says Musovic.
Proud parents
The day after the match, she still hasn’t quite taken in that it happened. Fortunately, she has others who remind her from the other side of the globe. The reactions from the family back home in Sweden were not long in coming.
— It is an incredible pride, proud parents who are really happy and who may have realized it a little more than I have. They understand how damn big this is.
Family in particular is a special chapter in the story of Zecira Musovic. The family in the Balkans, it is found in both Bosnia and Serbia, was not always supportive when a young Zecira talked about becoming the world’s best soccer goalkeeper.
– It was kind of a joke that I played football, Musovic told in a long interview with The evening paper before the WC.
Nervous in Serbia
But she has overcome both prejudice and doubt. Now she is Sweden’s first goalkeeper in a world championship, and the family’s laughter has long since been replaced by cheers.
TT: Have they heard from you after the premiere?
– Yes actually. A relative back home had called mum and found a channel that broadcast the World Cup in Serbia. He had said “I’ve seen Zecira play on TV!”. Then they had seen that I had conceded a goal and were completely devastated, and said to mom “now we understand why you are so damn nervous when you sit and watch her”, says Musovic.
— So it’s fun, somewhere they’ve woken up and realized that this was never a joke. Although many thought so then and there.
“Passion for justice”
Musovic and Kosovare Asllani have repeatedly raised the lack of diversity in the Swedish women’s national team, and how to remedy it. Among other things, both are aware that girls with a foreign background often face greater resistance due to cultural differences.
But while playing football wasn’t a given for Musovic, it might be for the next generation.
As one of the few national team players with a foreign background, she knows her worth.
— I’m passionate about justice and that everyone should have the opportunity to participate, that everyone should have the opportunity to become the best regardless of the circumstances.
— I am very proud that I have managed to get so far that I can actually inspire others, perhaps even others who have not had it entirely easy away from home. So I’m very happy about that. I am happy that we have different players, different personalities, in the national team, who can inspire in their own ways. Which may be able to reach different target groups.