Sweden’s women’s national team has been incredibly close to winning a major title on several occasions, and going into the women’s European Championship in 2022, they were a popular tip to lift the trophy.
In the end, that dream was crushed by eventual champions England in the semi-finals. It meant another chance of glory went begging for this generation of players – featuring legendary midfielder Caroline Seger, iconic playmaker Kosovare Asllani and Chelsea captain Magdalena Eriksson, among others.
With the Women’s World Cup to come in the summer of 2023, there may well be another chance for them to triumph, but there will not be many more opportunities for some of those players, with only two of the 23 in Peter Gerhardsson’s Euro 2022 squad under the age of 25.
It raises curiosities, then, over what the next generation will look like for Sweden. NXGN 2021 winner Hanna Bennison is already fully integrated into Gerhardsson’s plans, but there are plenty of talents bubbling under the surface, too, ready to explode onto the scene.
One of those is Evelina Duljan, the versatile 19-year-old who signed for Juventus in August. She didn’t believe she would see much playing time in her first year in Italy, but that she’s already defying that expectation tells you a lot about her talent.
But what is it that makes the teenager so special? Allow NXGN to explain…