It is not every day that you say the words “The Greatest of all time.”
Four years ago I went to a football match at Linköping. At the time of my best friend was playing as a striker for Linkoping. The club was going through a transition phase, and we knew that at the end of the season we would be losing some of our best players. One game I saw a young player come on the pitch and play in central midfield I had no idea who she was and had to look at the program to find her name. Her name as Pernille Harder, someone I had never heard of.
Throughout the game, she was showing excellent touches in midfield, yet I don’t think it was her natural position, her strength was not there, and she was being muscled off the ball many times. After the game, I spoke to my friend who played on the same team she said that she was a new signing and that Pernille had amazing ability and agreed with me that she didn’t think that the Central midfielder position was her natural place.
A few months later my friend went back to Australia to live, and the team lost several key players especially in attack. The next season Harder played as a striker and finally she had found her natural position. As the season went on she was growing in strength the goals were coming, and her natural ability to move on and off the ball was making her one of the best players in the league.
And she has since never stopped being amazing! Her first season she claimed three goals in 10 games the second season was even more amazing and incredible 18 goals in 21 games. 2014 saw her with an injury, but she still managed to score nine goals in 13 games. As she progressed into a seasoned striker, she suddenly became one of the best players in the world. 2015 she scored 17 goals in 21 games and was voted player of the year, this season she’s gone even higher scoring an incredible 21 goals in twenty-one games, and there is no question she will be going to voted player of the year.
Today marks an important day in our club’s and Pernille’s history. We became champions for the second time in history this season and today marks the final game of the year there will be a big party after and rightly so the team played fantastically and deserved everything that they deserve.
It is also a Sad day because in a realistic world we know that Harder is unlikely to be with this us next season. The manager Martin has stated that she’s been offered a contract but in reality unlike men’s football women’s football is strapped for cash. Some teams like Manchester City and Wolfsburg can attract other players of the high-quality because they have more investment than us.
In a world where the champions of Sweden have to rely on supporter’s money to fund the club it just goes to show the difference between what money can and cannot do.
Pernille has been an incredibly loyal player for us I would say she is the greatest of all-time for the club and certainly the best player I have ever seen in 20 years of watching women’s football.
She is the ultimate professional both on and off the pitch, and it will be impossible to replace her.
She deserves to go onto bigger success there are player’s with half her ability earning twice the money, but it’s not about money it’s about being professional.
Pernille Harder is without question the best player I have ever been privileged to watch in both the men’s and women’s game.
I don’t think you could look at ultimate role model for a young player.
Of course, there is a chance that she can stay, Champions League football is guaranteed next season, but we cannot be fools to think that this is not going to be her final game.
If it is I just want to say, thank you for being the best player we’ve seen the club. We wish you well, and you will forever be a Linköping Lion!
