Switzerland will be hoping to have plenty of eyeballs on their country this summer as they host the latest edition of the Women’s Euros.
Perhaps then, they are fortunate that within their own squad is one of the most recognisable faces in the entire competition, and women’s football more generally.
Boasting nearly 17 million followers on Instagram alone, Alisha Lehmann has far and away the biggest following in women’s football and has been sponsored by major brands such as EA Sports and Prime.
The 26-year-old forward arrives at this summer’s tournament having won Serie A with Juventus and will be hoping to help her country make a statement on and off the pitch as Euro 2025 hosts.
But after a frustrating and injury-affected season, whether or not she gets that opportunity remains to be seen.
Lehmann’s rise in the WSL
Initially coming through at BSC YB Frauen, the women’s team representing BSC Young Boys, Lehmann caught the eye after scoring 16 goals in 28 league appearances in 2017-18.
A move to the Women’s Super League soon followed, with Lehmann joining West Ham in 2018 and scoring six times in her debut season.
After just six goals in her next two seasons, the Swiss forward moved on to Aston Villa, where she scored 14 times in 75 appearances in all competitions.
Along with her then-boyfriend – and fellow former Villa player, Douglas Luiz – Lehmann made the move to Italy last summer to join Juventus.
And while scoring on her debut in a win over Sassulo, Lehmann soon found herself without regular time and started just once between November and the final game of the season.
Last-minute call-up to Euro 2025
Such a lack of game time almost had a knock-on effect for Lehmann’s Euro 2025 hopes.
The winger featured in the 2023 World Cup when Switzerland reached the Round of 16, but had previously missed out on the 2019 World Cup and Euro 2022.
Head coach Pia Sundhage initially omitted the Juventus forward from her squad for May’s international break, essentially Lehmann’s last opportunity to make her case for a place at the Euros.
However, an injury to Alena Bienz afforded Lehmann a late reprieve and a call-up to the squad for May’s internationals, with the 26-year-old doing enough to earn her spot in the hosts’ 23-player squad for Euro 2025.
Overcoming hurdles
Such trials and tribulations are a part of every footballer’s career, but Lehmann’s profile has seen her receive a barrage of sexist online abuse for what she wears on the pitch and how she enjoys time off it.
‘It’s always like that because people say ‘why do you always wear so much make up’ or ‘why do you do this or that’,’ Lehmann told talkSPORT earlier this year.
‘I’m a woman, if I want to wear make up, I’ll wear make up. If I want to do my nails, I’ll do my nails. It’s a part of me, I don’t listen to these things because it’s not something to focus on.
‘I’m confident, I’m happy, I smile every day, I wake up happy. But obviously it’s a problem because when you have these comments, it’s not very nice.’
‘We don’t have the same opportunities’
Lehmann’s focus for now will be on Euro 2025, with Switzerland hoping to impress in front of their home fans in their opener against Norway.
Competition for places and Sundhage’s formation, which does not normally deploy wingers, could well mean Lehmann’s impact at the tournament comes from the bench.
But guided by Arsenal star Lia Walti in the middle of the park, Lehmann is hopeful that her country can enjoy a deep run in the tournament to help grow the profile of women’s football in her homeland.
‘I think after the Euros, women’s football went crazy in England with the media and TV coverage as well,’ she reflected on the eve of this summer’s tournament.
‘We (the WSL clubs) were able to play in the bigger men’s stadiums, so it was a big step and I hope it happens with Switzerland as well.
‘I think in Switzerland we work really hard but we don’t have the same opportunities they have in England or other countries so hopefully that can change.’
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