When Celtic lost the Champions League premiere against Twente with 0-2 last week, Elena Sadiku made history as the youngest head coach in the tournament's history (including the men's side).
But despite her young age, the path to coaching success has been long.
Already at 23, she was forced to lay down her active football career, after several knee injuries and operations. First, a cruciate ligament injury at 19 years old, and shortly after the comeback, another knee injury, which was even more complicated.
I remember waking up after the operation and my doctor saying: "Elena, now you have to stop playing football".
But Sadiku didn't want to give up.
My head wanted more. Football is my greatest passion and my greatest love. So I gave it a chance, but tore the cruciate ligament again.
And this time, the situation was even more serious. An infection after a keyhole operation meant that it was no longer just a career as an elite football player that was at stake.
I was operated on seven times in two weeks, I think. The doctors were afraid that the infection wouldn't go away.
Before the seventh operation, the orthopedist said: If this doesn't work now, we'll have to consider amputation. That's how far it had gone. And it was then that it hit me for the first time – that I don't care about football, I have to keep my life. It was really a fear of dying.
“Can't explain how tough it was”
The period after her career was deep. Really deep.
I thought life wasn't worth living. All those terrible thoughts you can imagine, I thought then. And it also makes me even prouder of where I am today.
Today, she has moved on and is rather grateful for everything that has happened.
It has shaped me into who I am and taken me to where I am today. It's crazy to say that, considering how bad I felt and how bad my mental health has been.
Now, she is making a success from the coach's bench.
I think it's a lot about my background. When I couldn't reach my full potential as a player, so... It can't be explained how tough it was for me. So when I became a coach, that passion lived on in me, but I would do my best for my players instead.
“Leaves no doors closed”
But even if life in Scotland's biggest club is good, the goal of her career is to reach even higher.
I want to reach the top. I want to coach the best players in the best league. And to be challenged, you have to feel a desire to take on bigger challenges, and that's something I'm willing to do.
One of the challenges is to one day coach a men's team.
100 percent. It's not because I want to prove that women can coach men. Coaching women and men is very different. It's something I think would be very interesting to test.
TT: If the management asks if you want to take over the men's team in Celtic, what do you say then?
Then I say: Absolutely, it would be interesting. I leave no doors closed for either men's or women's football.
Celtic faces Real Madrid in the second group stage match of the Champions League on Thursday, October 17.
Age: 30.
Born: Bocholt, Germany.
Grew up in: Malmö.
Clubs as a player: LdB FC Malmö (now FC Rosengård), Kristianstad, Eskilstuna United, Hammarby.
Clubs as a coach: Beijing BG Phoenix (assistant coach), FC Rosengård (head coach for U19 and assistant coach for the senior team), Fortuna Hjørring, Eskilstuna United, Everton's U21 team, Celtic.
In acute situations or when thinking about suicide, always call 112.
You can turn to these organizations if you're feeling unwell:
Mind.se.
Suicide Zero – suicidezero.se.
Spes – the national association for suicide prevention and aftercare. spes.se.
BRIS – children's rights in society. bris.se.
Save the Children – raddabarnen.se. Also for parents.
Anonymous alcoholics – aa.se.
Jourhavande kompis – receives calls from children and young people up to 25 years old. jourhavandekompis.se.
Jourhavande medmänniska – can be reached at night on 08-702 16 80.
Friends – friends.se.
1177 – healthcare advice and information about the nearest psychiatric emergency department. 1177.se
