Elena Sadiku, 32-year-old of origin from Kosovo, has gone to history, becoming the youngest coach ever nominated for the year’s fairies award at the prestigious ceremony of Golden Top (Ballon d’Or).
Swedish team coach BK Häcken was nominated after historic success with the club, which led him to win the first trophy in the inaugural edition of U. EFA Women’s Europe Cup. This was the first European trophy in the history of the club, established in 1970.
Sadiku received the news of the unexpected nomination in the club hall when one of her assistants showed her the phone screen. Initially, she did not understand the importance of the news until she noticed the logo of the Golden Top.
Its success comes after an extraordinary journey marked by personal challenges, serious health problems, and an early football career.
At the age of 19, Sadiku suffered the first break of cross – knee evil, beginning a difficult medical period. She underwent a total of 13 operations on the left knee, while a severe infection after the third intervention also caused doctors to examine the possibility of amputation to save her life.
Fortunately, her leg was saved, but her football career ended at the age of 24. Just four months later, the Hammarby club offered him the opportunity to create a football academy for girls, paving the way for his career as a coach.
It worked in several countries, including China, Denmark and Scotland, where it directed Celtic to the first historical title champion. Then, he continued his success at BK Häcken, with whom he achieved European triumph.
Sadiku is the only woman among the candidates for the Year’s Coach Award, along with names like Jonathan Giraldez, Andree Yegltz, Neils Nielsen and Père Romeu.
Beyond sports achievements, the coach has also talked about the need for institutional support for women in football, especially about the rights related to the relaxation and the possibility of returning to work after birth.
Her story begins amid family exiles because of wars in the former Yugoslavia. Her parents left Kosovo in the early ’90s and settled in Germany, where Elena was born. The family later returned to Kosovo, but war forced them to move back to Sweden.
There, in the backyard, she began playing soccer with her father and brother. Today, after a career interrupted by serious injuries, Sadiku is witnessing that obstacles did not stop her dream of reaching the top of European football.
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Source Layer: Signal