The decision that defined her career. Oranjee hero Groenen and her judo story

Most of today’s generation of professional footballers grew up in a world where women’s football was not fully professional and where there was no guarantee it ever would be. For many, that meant dividing their time between multiple sports. In Scandinavia in particular, young athletes are encouraged to try a range of disciplines before specialising later on.

That is why players like Fridolina Rolfö and Stina Blackstenius could just as easily have pursued careers in handball. Instead, they chose football,  much to the delight of Arsenal and Barcelona fans, after playing key roles in their clubs’ Women's Champions League triumphs. 

In our Off the Pitch series, we have also described the story of Maja Viström, who could have followed a similar path in football, but opted for floorball instead, where she has gone on to achieve remarkable success at both club and international level — even being named the world’s best player.

But there are also those who excelled in individual sports before ultimately choosing a team game. One of them is Jackie Groenen, now a midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain and the Netherlands national team.

Young champion

During her teenage years, few would have predicted that football would become her future. Judo was her priority and she was exceptional at it. Between 2007 and 2009, she won the Dutch national championship three times in the U15 category, marking her out as a potential future Olympic champion and a rising star in the sport.

Yet judo was not the whole story. Alongside her sister Merel, Groenen also played football, something their sports-loving parents strongly encouraged. The two sisters progressed through youth football together and even shared the pitch at senior level during their time at Essen in the Bundesliga.

The decision

So how did Groenen, despite her success in judo, end up choosing football? By the time she reached U17 level, she had already become a European champion, adding a bronze medal at the junior European Championships a year later, along with a national title. For most athletes, a career would only accelerate after such achievements.

But then came the turning point:  injury. Something that often derails a football career instead became the catalyst for hers. After suffering a hip injury at a judo tournament, her club at the time, FCR 2001 Duisburg, gave her an ultimatum: football or judo. The risk of further injury was simply too great to combine both at a professional level.

And so she had to choose.

Despite everything she had achieved in judo, Groenen chose football. Yet she never left that chapter behind entirely. By her own account, judo helped shape her mental resilience in high-pressure matches and gave her an edge in physical duels — qualities that continue to define her as a player.

Shortly after stepping away from judo, she earned a move to Chelsea. However, it was at Manchester United where she made her biggest impact in England, spending three seasons at the club. She later took her career to France, joining Paris Saint-Germain, where she still plays today. It was in Paris that she finally lifted her first major club trophy, winning the Coupe de France in the 2023/24 season.

On the international stage, her success has been even more pronounced. With over a century of caps for the Oranje, Groenen was a key part of the Netherlands side that won the European Championship on home soil in 2017. She enjoyed an outstanding tournament and was named in the Team of the Tournament.

Her defining moment, though, likely came two years later at the 2019 World Cup. In the semi-final against Sweden, Groenen scored the decisive goal that sent the Netherlands into the final, a moment that cemented her place in Dutch football history. And one that, perhaps, made many fans grateful for the ultimatum she once faced, and the choice she made.