Anna Anvegård has been praised for her efforts in Häcken, which won the European Cup this spring.
But getting back into the national team has been a bit more difficult for the 29-year-old, who had surgery on one knee last winter. And when national team captain Tony Gustavsson presented his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers last week, her name was missing again.
"Of course, at the last selection when I wasn't there, it was so early after my knee surgery. But I felt like I really gave it a chance now with this call-up," says Anna Anvegård, who has 36 international caps to date.
"Obviously I was disappointed at first."
Booked trip
The Häcken midfielder received the news from Tony Gustavsson by phone the day before the selection and booked a short vacation to Croatia instead.
"I think we booked the same day the selection came in. I thought, 'Damn, I don't want to be at home here, I need to think about something else,'" she says.
"That may sound a bit exaggerated. But I knew about it because I had talked to him the day before and had time to digest it a bit."
No demands
A few days later, after an injury to centre back Elma Junttila Nelhage, she received another call from the national team captain. According to Anna Anvegård, it was obvious to accept, despite having been rejected earlier in the week.
"I think I have to do my best on the field and show that the selection was wrong, that he should have taken me in from the beginning," she says.
"I'm not the one who demands any answers; I just have to show it on the pitch."
Sweden meets Denmark in Odense on Friday and then finishes the World Cup qualifiers at home in Gothenburg against Italy on Tuesday.
