An interview with Hanna Glass on the European Championship trip
Munich. Hana Glass, 29, loves life as a professional footballer in Munich, Germany.
But the truth is, the doctors advised the right-back not to overinvest.
– I was really scared. She says it was a bit daunting.
The sun rises at Marienplatz in Munich as Hanna Glas enters the outside balcony. Dressed in a mint green jacket, she settles into a spot in the shade with the gorgeous New Town Hall as the backdrop.
– I really enjoyed it. I felt it right away when I moved here. Things went so quickly that I felt at home and part of the team. It really is my second family.
One of the reasons the 29-year-old entered German everyday life so quickly is because of the language. Although she is still studying German besides football, she is fluent in it.
– I think it’s very important. I feel this is a difference compared to when I was in Paris. It was difficult getting to know their teammates and it was also difficult in dialogue with the coach, she says and continues:
– I quickly noticed that the girls here on the team feel more comfortable speaking German. They can open up in another way. Everything became much easier.
The dream started after the 2003 World Cup
For Glass, the professional adventure began when she left Eskilstuna and security at her home in Sweden in the summer of 2018 for French big club Paris Saint-Germain.
– It was very educational and I am very happy that I took this step. This was one of the reasons why I went abroad. I wanted to develop myself as a player and as a person. Then maybe that was the step I should take.
But the path to a European career has not been easy for the right-back from Sundsvall.
– No, I must have gone the long way.
The trip once started in Kubenplan in Sundsvall for five-year-old Hanna Glas. Nowadays you are greeted by artificial grass. At the time, it was grass or gravel that mattered.
It was mostly fun but of course I was dreaming of the first team. Especially after the 2003 World Cup and silver. Then I felt ‘Oh my God, how great it is to play for the national team’. But then it felt like a far-fetched dream.
When she was 19, she was recruited to the damallsvenska Sunnanå club, but there were no matches. In pre-season, Glass injured the cruciate ligament for the second time in his career.
We played a lot of matches and in my head I didn’t recover 100 percent. It was exactly the same position. I played ball and put my legs down and then I stepped in. I wasn’t really ready and didn’t reach out, she says.
The following year, she made her Swedish debut in Sweden after enlisting in Umeå IK. During the second season came the long-awaited call of the national team.
– It was my biggest dream. But it was taken from me a few days before I went there. When I was so close
Just days before the rally, the accident occurred. second. For the third time in five years, Glass sustained another cruciate ligament injury.
– The third was the most difficult. It took me a very long time to find the motivation to get me back. It was very difficult. But I am very happy that I was able to do this with the help and support of family and friend.
Have you ever wondered if it is all worth the work?
– yes. Especially the first weeks. Then it was very difficult. Do I have to do this again? Is it worth it? Should I quit smoking?
“There was talk of a knee replacement”
It didn’t get any better when doctors also advised her not to invest in a comeback. They were afraid that it wouldn’t be good in the long run.
Although seven years have passed, she clearly remembers it.
– It was a very difficult meeting. It was hard to comprehend what they said about what could happen. It was a bit of a shock. At the same time, I had a hard time absorbing what they had to say about what it would mean to me as a footballer and as a person.
What did they say could have consequences?
There was talk of knee joints at the age of thirty. My grandmother, who is growing up, had two operations, and I felt “filth”. I was really scared. It was a bit daunting. I have to admit that.
But since she is stubborn, Glass chose to give it another try.
– In the end, I felt: “Now I’m driving.” I needed to recover and I have a lot to give football. With the result in hand, I’m so happy and grateful that it turned out the way it did.
If someone told you that you would be sitting here today as a Bayern Munich professional. What did you say then?
I might not have believed it myself if someone had said it. I would mostly be happy if I could play football again. Since I sat here today and with these last years behind me. You feel sick when you think of it that way.
“The league is not getting the credibility it deserves”
There are a lot of people who would like to see the town hall bells. At the next table, some dogs begin to bark at the same time that the Swede has to explain how she views the standing of the German League.
– I think it was a bit underrated, I must say. I don’t think it gets the credibility it deserves. Especially when we see that Hoffenheim, who finished fifth in the league, easily beat Rosengard in two games. And they beat Arsenal at home. It’s a very tough and even tournament. I think the quality is very high on many teams, she says.
In addition to the language she used before, Glass highlights the surrounding facilities as one of the big differences between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
– We had a great plan in Paris. But in terms of the gym, changing room, showers and everything around where we ate and such, I think it’s much better here in Munich.
The women’s team trains and plays at Campus Bayern in the northern parts of Munich. On a normal day in Glas proffsliv, she drove her Audi towards the training facility around nine in the morning.
– Then training and so there. I usually stay home around 2:30 sometime. Then maybe that’s a plug or if we can come up with something with the girls on the team.
Prosper with the favorite team in the European Championships
Since coming here in July 2020, Glass has developed into one of the best right-backs in the world and has been involved in collecting the gold medal in the league.
This season has been heavier. Wolfsburg regained the league title, beating Bayern Munich in the cup semi-finals, and in the Champions League there was a travel pass against former Glas team Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals.
It’s like you want next season to start now so you can start over and get a new chance. Last year was a great year, it was really nice to win the league and break the direction of Wolfsburg, so it’s a strong desire to take revenge with us.
But first, the European Championships are waiting for you. With Sweden as one of the candidates. The role of the glass flourishes it.
We want to be the best and with that comes expectations too. It’s just fun.
What does it feel like to be part of this national team?
– No, but it’s also something cool and unique. Above all, the environment and culture we have built in recent years, she says and continues with enthusiasm:
Everyone yearns for the national team and it’s fun. Especially now when you are playing with other nationalities it may not always feel fun to go with them.
Glass believes that the team-building that captain Peter Gerhardson has worked so hard on with his assistant Magnus Wakeman and sports psychologist Rasmus and Elaine Thorenberg is a big part of the national team’s success in recent years.
You might see many other teams on paper who have better players individually, but we are very strong as a team and that probably comes from a lot of cohesion that we have in the group.
The 29-year-old notes that France, England and Spain are the biggest contenders this summer. Not Germany, which has the biggest title after winning eight golds at the European Championships.
– I’m not entirely convinced. They have a lot of good players but I don’t think they put it together as a team. Maybe especially in the back line. There were many different transformations. They don’t have stability so I think it could be one of the details that makes it really unsuccessful.
Do you think going to the national team is more fun than your German teammates?
Yes, but I think so, laughs Glass.
Last summer, a great Swedish tournament ended in tears after losing the final.
Now Glass dreams of getting into Wembley who has run out of everything and getting the long-awaited gold.
– It would have been the biggest dream ever. Something we all work hard at every day. Especially considering the recent tournaments. It was “cherry on top”. truly.
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