“I’ve always had this fire within me to make things better,” Kosovare Asllani reflects on a warm afternoon at London City Lionesses’ training ground. “That comes from my family always supporting me with that. But I also think that the generation before us took the fight and it’s our responsibility to continue it.”
This sense of duty is clearly intrinsic to Asllani’s character. Relaxed in her new surroundings, she jokes that she could talk forever, “just like we’re having coffee”. The seasoned Sweden international has never been afraid to talk about her life and issues in a sport that has transformed significantly since she first kicked a ball for Vimmerby IF. “In just a few years, we’ve made big changes but we’re not there yet,” she says.
