Maria Kroken

She started playing football at seven because her friends were already involved with her local club, Heming.

She began her football career with Oslo club Heming before joining Lyn at 15 in April 2023.

She was selected for Norway’s first-ever girls’ U14 national team in 2022.

She was Norway’s first-choice goalkeeper during its historic run to the 2025 European U17 final.

She briefly tried alpine skiing but found football much more enjoyable.

She did not become a goalkeeper until around the age of 12. The switch happened almost by accident, and she was not initially excited about playing in goal.

Her long-term dream is to play professionally in England or Spain and become one of the world’s three best goalkeepers.