You're 18 years old. A few days ago you scored your first goal for the national team and now you are about to take a penalty that could send your country to the semi-finals. And you miss. Sad? Sure. After the missed penalty, Smilla Holmberg was supported by her big idol Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
- After 18-year-old Smilla Holmberg missed the decisive penalty in Sweden’s Euro 2025 quarter-final shootout against England, Zlatan Ibrahimović — part-owner of her club Hammarby and one of her idols — sent an encouraging text the next morning.
- In his message, Zlatan called Holmberg “awesome” and told her to “take the next penalty, and the next one,” and emphasized the importance of believing in oneself.
- Zlatan, who famously missed a penalty in Euro 2004, reassured Holmberg that such setbacks shouldn’t define a career but serve as growth moments.
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