The contract was finalised before the European Championship last summer, and Hanna Bennison left Juventus to join Real Madrid.
However, it has been a tough first season at the big Spanish club - as she has not played a single minute in the past two months.
"It's very tough. But of course I train extra hard to stay in the best shape possible," she says ahead of the next two World Cup qualifying matches.
"Of course you miss the matches, but I still feel in good shape."
“Get help”
To deal with the new situation, she has turned to both loved ones and a psychologist.
It is also advice she is happy to pass on to the new "super talents" in the national team, such as 18-year-old Häcken striker Felicia Schröder or Arsenal defender Smilla Holmberg, 19.
"Get help from all around you, open up and get help early," says Hanna Bennison.
"For me personally, it has helped a lot."
Hanna Bennison was under a lot of pressure early on. She was described as a super talent and became the world's most expensive signing of 2021 when she moved from Rosengård to Everton.
But the latest move shows that careers don't always go straight up, she notes.
"I can only speak for myself, but it's easy to feel even more pressure on yourself. Both from yourself, but also a lot from outside," she says.
"And when things don't go straight up, it can be tough. So you have to be aware that things can go up and down a lot."
No regrets
However, the Swede does not regret leaving Juventus last year.
"I think that regardless, I've grown from this. You can always take away and learn a lot from challenges like this, too," she says.
However, there is some uncertainty about whether she will remain at Real Madrid for the remaining two years of her contract.
"I'll fight on at Real until the end of the season and do my best there, then we'll see what happens. I haven't gotten that far in those thoughts, but now I'm very much in the present and moving on."
Facts: Sweden's World Cup qualifiers
Sweden plays in Group A1 in the European qualifiers for the 2027 Women's World Cup.
Sweden started March with a 1-0 away draw against Italy, but a few days later only got a 0-0 away draw against Serbia.
The group winner qualifies directly for the World Cup in Brazil, while the second-, third- and fourth-place teams will face playoff games this fall.
Remaining Swedish qualifying matches:
April 14: Denmark (home).
April 18: Serbia (home).
June 5: Denmark (away).
June 9: Italy (home).
