In a media roundtable, Roma attacker Alayah Pilgrim looks back on the difficult past year. She is now fit again and back with the national team for the first time since April 2024. Balm for the battered soul.
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- Alayah Pilgrim was last called up for the national team in April 2024 due to several injuries. Now she is healthy again and back in the national team.
- For her, it is "a dream" to play for the national team. The joy of being part of the team again is all the greater.
- The 21-year-old gives an impressive account of how she was slowed down by injuries several times last year. The whole thing was not only physically painful, but also mentally difficult.
"I was out for a long time, so the joy of being back in the team is all the greater." Playing for her own country was "indescribable, a dream come true. I think every little girl who plays football dreams of it. And I'm very proud to be able to experience it," said the speedy attacking player.
Pilgrim, who made her national team debut under Inka Grings after the 2023 World Cup, has made nine international appearances so far. She played three of them under Pia Sundhage, the last in April 2024. After that, the injury bug struck mercilessly, causing her to miss not only international matches but also many AS Roma games.
First her knee caused her problems, then her ankle and finally she was also slowed down by Achilles tendinitis (more on this in the video above). She returned to the pitch in January and has her first few minutes under her belt. "I feel fit, the training sessions are pretty intense in Rome." She is also doing extra sessions to get back to her best level as quickly as possible. She is fully on schedule and feels that the club has great confidence in her.
She has not set herself any specific goals for the upcoming Nations League games against Iceland (February 21) and Norway (February 25). If she gets a chance to show herself, she simply wants to go full throttle and promote her own cause.
