In December 2023, Magdalena Eriksson was substituted injured. She suffered a metatarsal fracture and was absent from her club, FC Bayern Munich, and the Swedish national team for several months.
In a column published in The Guardian Eriksson writes about her experiences during her injury. She gives insights behind the scenes and into her emotional world.
As a 17-year-old, Eriksson had already suffered the same injury on his other foot. Because of this experience, the former Chelsea captain knew immediately what had happened when she was injured in the game against Ajax Amsterdam.
However, she was not surprised that her body could no longer cope with the stress of the last few months: “Looking back, I'm not surprised that I suffered such a stress fracture because I had the feeling that my body was at the end. I had a number of problems – ironically everywhere except my left foot – and had told my partner Pernille (Harder) a few weeks earlier that I just had to hold out until Christmas. After seven weeks of the World Cup, I only had a short break before I started training with my new club. A week and a half later we had our first cup game and two days later we went to the Nations League. So it's no wonder something like this happened.”
More and more players are expressing their concern that the game calendar is becoming more and more full and that they hardly have any breaks anymore. Both the physical and mental aspects suffer, leading to an increase in injuries, especially cruciate ligament tears. Players are increasingly reporting that they are mentally and physically exhausted just a few weeks into the season and are wondering how they will survive the season. Players also shared their concerns about cruciate ligament tears. Many go onto the pitch thinking that this time it could happen to them. The fear among players is great, especially since the regeneration times are becoming shorter and shorter.
More and more players are demanding that FIFA and other associations take the well-being of female athletes into account and that more research should be carried out, especially for female soccer players – especially in the area of cruciate ligament tears. But as is often the case, money seems to be more important for the associations than the health of the athletes.
The 30-year-old reports that the first few days after the operation were particularly difficult. She describes how difficult it was to come to terms with what was to come while she lay in bed in pain. Eriksson emphasizes how important it was for her not to put herself under time pressure: “When a footballer gets injured, everyone immediately asks: 'When are you coming back?' What really helped me was not putting a time limit on myself. The coaches and rehab trainers have a goal, but I never asked them, and if I were to give advice to other players I would recommend just taking it day by day go.”
From the outside, the team spirit and cohesion at FC Bayern Munich seems to be particularly strong. The players support each other as best they can. The defender also mentions in her article that injured players form a rehab group – they are “practically a small team within the team, and the relationship between us is really good as we can share our experiences and support each other.”
After five weeks, Magdalena Eriksson was able to remove the boot that had stabilized her foot. Although this may sound like a relief to others, it wasn't so easy for Eriksson himself. She describes that during this time she was constantly at the threshold of pain. “First you have pain when you walk, and when that stops, you start running, and then you have pain again. Every time the load increases, you feel pain. It's very tiring,” explains the Swede.
She goes on to talk about difficulties while racing: “One of the hardest moments was when they tried to get me to race and it just didn't feel right, so I had to stop. It was actually just a small setback, but in that moment “You feel terrible and think it's never going to heal.”
Starting February 13, Eriksson resumed performing outdoor exercises with her rehabilitation coach. The first session with the team followed on March 2nd. Eriksson considered this the most difficult part as it could take some time to regain full fitness and she was worried about incurring a muscle injury.
According to Eriksson, the most important thing is to listen to your gut feeling and not overthink it. The different phases of an injury are never easy, both physically and mentally. However, she herself was able to rediscover her love of football: “Before the injury, I was tired of football and only watched a few games, apart from my own. But now I watch the Premier League, the Champions League, the Women's Bundesliga and the WSL and it's the same as before, so luckily I feel like I've found my hunger and my love for the game again.”
Eriksson describes her gratitude when she was able to take the field again. She would like to thank her family, partner Pernille, teammates and the club's medical department. She also gives a special thank you to the fans.
Magdalena Eriksson shares private insights into the process of injury and what it's like to be injured as a footballer. The fans are overjoyed to have Eriksson back on the pitch and she and her team will do everything in the coming weeks to bring the league and the DFB Cup to Munich.
