Autor: Kristina Němcová (@stinanemcova)
Imagine the situation. You are 18 years old. You’ve recently finished high school, and a few months ago you debuted for the national team. Now you’re at the Euros, you scored against a tough opponent like Germany. The difference between you and your defensive partner Linda Sembrant is exactly 20 years. And now you’re just a step away from the semifinals.
A penalty stands before you. All of Sweden is on your shoulders. You cannot miss. If you miss, Sweden’s journey ends. For your coach, this is the last match. And so does for your club captain. But you missed. The stadium fell silent. Sweden, which was leading 2:0 in the championship, is out. This would break many people. But Smilla Holmberg, the young superstar from the Stockholm based club Hammarby, where she is a club academy alumni, was not broken.
She keeps shining at the club level, is a regular part of the starting eleven, and already at such a young age, one of the biggest top clubs wants her. But let’s start from the beginning. What is Smilla Holmberg’s story?
Born on October 11, 2006, Holmberg started her football career at the age of seven, joining the Hammarby IF academy. Hammarby is Stockholm based club, where Smilla was born and raised, one of the most respected Swedish clubs, especially in terms of women’s football. Their fans call themselves Bajens, and in the 2024/25 season, when Hammarby played in the Champions League, they captivated everyone with how they managed to make little Stockholm feel like Barcelona and Manchester.
But back to Smilla. She has never worn any other club jersey than the green-and-white one of Hammarby. This is despite the fact that her father is a fan of AIK Stockholm, their city rival. By the way, a similar fate belongs to one of the best footballers of the present day – Leah Williamson. She has been playing for Arsenal since she was eight, coming through the club’s academy, but her father is a fan of Tottenham.
These two, besides both playing in defense, may soon share the same club affiliation. According to the latest information, Arsenal has shown interest in the 19-year-old right-back. The interest is said to be mutual, but Holmberg is currently thriving at Hammarby, with whom she is playing in the European Cup.
By the way, Hammarby is partially owned by Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimović, whom Smilla looked up to during her childhood. Through the academy, she made it to the first team, where she debuted at just fifteen years old. It didn’t take long before she became a key part of the starting lineup and, with her club, made it to the Champions League and scored a goal.
Her talent did not go unnoticed, and at the age of eighteen, she received a call-up to the senior national team. While her peers are usually called up to U23 teams, she was invited to the Euros. Just a few months after graduating from high school. She made her debut before the Euros in a friendly match against Norway, in which she played the full 90 minutes. It was clear she wouldn't be watching the tournament from the bench the moment she came on in the 66th minute of the first match against Denmark.
The brightest moment, however, came in the match against Germany – Sweden’s eternal rival, who has often stood in their way to glory. Not in the 2025 Euros, though, where Smilla started in the lineup and even scored a goal to put Sweden ahead 2-1.
Sweden then faced a disappointing match against England in the playoff stage, where they lost a 2-0 lead and then Smilla missed a penalty. Although Sweden was overwhelmed with sadness, the young player received support, including from Zlatan himself. He knows that feeling all too well – he missed a penalty at the 2004 Euros. However, Smilla didn’t let herself be broken and continued to shine at Hammarby, where, in the last season, she scored 6 goals and provided 4 assists in 26 matches (and she’s a right-back). It’s no surprise that Arsenal noticed her talent, and this young star’s future may very well lead there.
