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pernillemagda · 1 year

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The reactions to the kiss photo were a turning point

Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson are the dream couple of women's football. A kiss made both of them world famous. Now they play for FC Bayern. And see themselves on a special mission for the LGBTIQ+ community.

It's a day at the FC Bayern Campus in the north of Munich, a training center for the record champions' youth and women's teams: The currently injured Pernille Harder, 30, and Magdalena Eriksson, 30, come to talk to WELT AM SONNTAG in sportswear.

The dream couple of women's football moved from Chelsea to Munich in the summer. Since then, the two have received numerous media inquiries, but rarely give interviews together. This Saturday (5:55 p.m., ARD/Magentasport/DAZN) their team will play for the first time in the Bundesliga in the men's stadium in Munich, against Eintracht Frankfurt.

WELT AM SONNTAG: They had breakfast together today, drove to the training facility together, had a team meeting, and now did the interview together. Do you sometimes get tired of each other?

Magdalena Eriksson: (laughs) When we met, we also played for the same team, in Sweden. We are now used to being together all the time. And want it that way. Or? (Looks at Pernille Harder with a laugh)

Pernille Harder: Absolutely (laughs). But we don't walk around hand in hand all the time. Here on campus, we are at work – and very focused. While we eat, we sit with other players and talk to them. This is important. At home, it's nice when your partner knows what you've experienced during the day. You can exchange ideas and empathize differently. Especially when it comes to pressure and emotions.

Eriksson: Right. Parents, family and friends cannot understand this, no matter how good the relationship with them is. Because they are not professional footballers. Pernille and I can help each other very well. When she's at a low point, I build her up - and vice versa.

WELT AM SONNTAG: How long have you been together?

Harder: For nine and a half years.

WELT AM SONNTAG: At that time, could you imagine playing together for FC Bayern one day?

Harder: Many players have a dream club as a child that they really want to play for one day. I didn't have that. But I always wanted to play in Germany. I dreamed of this as a girl.

WELT AM SUNDAY: Why?

Harder: I was born in 1992. During my childhood and youth, German football was very strong, and the men's Bundesliga was very good. In 2017 I moved to VfL Wolfsburg - and was part of German football for the first time.

Eriksson: This is my first time playing for a German club. This is something very special for me. In my home country of Sweden, the Germans in football are called – loosely translated – the ghosts.

WELT AM SONNTAG: Why?

Eriksson: Because they always threw us Swedes out of big tournaments and scared us (laughs). Germany has always been very successful, so I have always been interested in the clubs here. And wanted to know why the Germans were so successful.

WELT AM SONNTAG: Were you able to reveal the German secret to success in your first few weeks in Munich?

Eriksson: (laughs) I'm still figuring it out. Germany has a lot of talented players who expect a lot from themselves. The quality of German women's football is very high.

Harder: Fatmire Bajramaj was an idol for me, she was incredible. A machine. Germany still has physically strong players, but now also very creative players. You need them, football has developed.

WELT AM SONNTAG: Ms. Eriksson, when you left Chelsea FC in the summer after six years, you cried.

Eriksson: Because it wasn't an easy decision. Timing plays an important role in life. And now that was perfect. Because we feel that our team at FC Bayern is currently developing enormously. And has enormous potential.

Harder: Some of our team consists of young players who are far from reaching their peak. We see great opportunities. The team is on a journey. We want to be part of the development.

WELT AM SONNTAG: Your coach Alexander Straus expects you to lead the team. What defines good leadership in football for you?

Eriksson: Be yourself! There are so many different leaders, quiet ones and loud ones. It's so individual. For me, communication is at the top. From my position in defense, I can see and direct a lot. This comes naturally. Some people say I'm louder on the pitch than in life off the pitch.

Harder: For me, leadership primarily means setting an example. If I give 100 percent, the younger players who might look up to me will do the same. Lead by example – this sentence still applies. It's about not just thinking about yourself, but about the entire team.

WELT AM SONNTAG: You also moved forward off the field when you kissed at the 2019 European Championships. You, Ms. Eriksson, had just won the quarterfinals with Sweden and went to the stands where your friend was cheering in the Sweden jersey. The kiss photo went around the world.

Harder: As a homosexual couple, we didn't hide beforehand, but we also didn't consciously show ourselves publicly for cameras. This moment was completely natural. We didn't even realize we were being photographed. It was only in the evening that we realized that something was happening: we received a lot of positive news. Before the photo, we never thought about the fact that we could be role models beyond sports. The reaction to the photo – that was a turning point. We realized that we were doing something for the LGBTIQ+ community, that we could do a lot of positive things for people with the little bit of our private life. This still feels incredible.

Eriksson: Until the photo, we didn't realize what influence we could have. Since then, we wanted to do more. Our goal is to make people's lives a little easier. We have therefore joined the Common Goal organization.

WELT AM SONNTAG: You donate one percent of your salary to this charitable organization, like the German national players Mats Hummels and Serge Gnabry .

Harder: Every player can choose which area the money should go to. We chose “Play Proud.” An organization committed to making stadiums safe spaces for the LGBTIQ+ community. And imparts the necessary knowledge.

WELT AM SONNTAG: What do you want to stand for?

Harder: Maybe we can change the attitude of people who send hate, for example on social media. It is important that everyone has the opportunity to live peacefully. No matter who he or she loves or where you come from.

Eriksson: We want to show members of the LGBTIQ+ community that they are no different than others, that they are not alone.

Harder: You don't see same-sex relationships in professional men's football. There are very few role models in football for young people in this regard. If we can be that we're happy to be that. That's probably why our kiss was so special for many people: because it happened in a football context. It's nice that we can play a part in making football more open.

Eriksson: When I was younger, I knew some players who were gay. But they weren't really proud of it, at least that's how it seemed to me. They were hiding a bit. When Pernille and I act normally, it sends the message: Be proud of who and how you are!

WELT AM SONNTAG: What did you think when, after the final of the Women's World Cup, you saw the then Spanish association president Luis Rubiales kissing the Spanish player Jennifer Hermoso on the mouth?

Harder: I was surprised and shocked that this could happen. That a man doesn't understand that it's wrong to do this - and on the biggest stage in women's football. It was completely over the limit. That's why it was important that the Spanish players made this clear.

Eriksson: I felt sorry for the Spanish players. They had just achieved the biggest title of their careers to date - and hardly anyone talked about it, everything revolved around the kiss. But there is something positive in this negative event: namely the global solidarity of women. The players around Jennifer Hermoso stuck together. I found that inspiring. They sent a message: standing together can make the difference. I hope that the players will look back in a few years and be very proud.

WELT AM SONNTAG: How do you rate the development of women's football in general? Where can it go?

Harder: I played for the Danish national team for the first time when I was 16 years old. An incredible amount has happened in our sport since then. He wasn't really accepted back then. Now you can see the potential. Women's football has a bright future ahead of it.

Eriksson: I'm very excited to see where the sport is going. When you became an international player, Chelsea didn't even have a women's team. And the English women's league didn't exist yet. Now there are so many options for girls and women. That's why we both want to stay in women's football after our careers as players and continue to drive this development forward.

WELT AM SONNTAG: Do you want to become a trainer?

Eriksson: During our time at Chelsea, we got our UEFA B coaching license and trained the U14s there at times. Maybe we'll get the A license.

WELT AM SONNTAG: Does it help or is it annoying that women's football is repeatedly compared to men's football ?

Eriksson: It's good to compare until we reach a standard in women's football that is acceptable to everyone. Our sport is not yet where it should be in every country and in every respect. Some players don't get enough money and don't have professional conditions everywhere. We have to fight for that. Once we have achieved that, the comparisons may well subside. Because women's football has a lot that makes it unique: such as the peaceful atmosphere in the stadiums, the great fans, and the family-friendly atmosphere in general.

Harder: When it comes to infrastructure, women's football can even use the eternal comparison with men's football - to learn. The women should have the same set-up as the men. There should be some kind of minimum wage for the respective leagues. You can't expect a player to train intensively twice a day and then take care of her body and the team without being able to make a living from it. When it comes to the peaceful atmosphere in the stadiums, I'm entirely with Magdalena - here men's football can learn from women's football. Riots and hostility that unfortunately occur from time to time in men's football do not exist in women's football. The fans in our sport are exemplary.

WELT AM SONNTAG: You recently played together for Chelsea for three years. How does women's football in Germany differ from that in England?

Harder: A lot has changed since I left the Bundesliga in 2020.

WELT AM SONNTAG: What specifically?

Harder: Above all, the interest of the audience. Over 13,000 spectators came to our first game away from home against SC Freiburg , and our stadium here on campus is almost always full for home games. Thousands of people even came to pre-season friendly games.

WELT AM SONNTAG: How many spectators came to Chelsea?

Eriksson: Usually between 3,000 and 4,000 spectators.

WELT AM SONNTAG: What else does England have ahead of Germany?

Harder: The English are extremely good when it comes to branding and marketing the clubs and the league.

Eriksson: The quality of the Bundesliga is enormous. Every team can take points from you. It's a pretty balanced league. Alex, our coach, relies on dominant football with a lot of ball control. In England, it was a bit more goal-to-goal. This is a very interesting challenge. I'm already 30 years old, but I feel that I can learn and develop here.

WELT AM SONNTAG: What soccer skills would you like your partner to have?

Harder: (looks at Eriksson) Your left foot. And your unwillingness to compromise in duels.

Eriksson: (looks at Harder) You’re dribbling at high speed. And your calmness when making decisions in the last third of the game. I always get nervous when I get close to the opponent's goal (laughs). You, on the other hand, are totally cool. And you know exactly when to pass and when to shoot.

Harder: I'm a striker. That's my job (laughs).

WELT AM SONNTAG: Are you interested in football 24/7?

Harder: Luckily not. It's also about coffee (laughs). And eat. We love good coffee and good food.

Eriksson: Travel and family are also important to us. I just became an aunt, my sister had a child. And Pernille has two nephews. It's important to know that there's more to life than football. We used to be different. When we got together, it was mostly football for us.

Harder: We were very young. We still want to achieve a lot, but we take some things more calmly.

#magdalena eriksson #pernille harder #magda the striker #coffee #food #aunt #nephew

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