Sydney Schertenleib talks about her debut season at Barcelona with its highs and lows, a flame emoji from Lamine Yamal, her personal goals and those with the national team at the European Championships.

Sydney Schertenleib joined the national team late. She did not have to take part in the first two weeks of preparation in Magglingen and Nottwil. After winning the double with Barcelona and losing the Champions League final the day before the start of the first week of training, the 18-year-old was given two weeks' recovery time by Pia Sundhage. A place in the 23-strong European Championship squad was reserved for the national team jewel.

Sydney Schertenleib, you joined the national team on Monday. How were your vacations?

Not ideal, I was still ill in between. But I needed a vacation and stayed at home for two weeks. I went to Lake Zurich and Letten, but I didn't travel.

What are your expectations for the European Championships?

Certainly getting through the group stage. When I look at our opponents, it's possible. We just have to play to our strengths and score one or two goals. I think the most important thing is that we make the country proud with our performance.

What makes you confident that things will turn out well?

We have so much potential on the ball. If we bring that onto the pitch and put it into practice at the European Championship, then we'll do well.

What does the coach want from you? Or does Pia Sundhage simply say: Sydney, take the ball and create something?

Today I had to do deep runs in the first five minutes. After that, the assistant coach told me: now you're free from jail, now you can do whatever you want. I think they quickly realized that I'm not a striker who stays in place. They tell me that I have a lot of freedom offensively, but defensively I just have to run and work for the team.

Let's turn the clock back a long way: how did you get into football?

My dad played for FC Wädenswil and I always went to his matches. And in kindergarten, I used to play with the boys at recess. I loved the looks on the boys' faces when I dribbled them out. And that always spurred me on to keep playing.

How do you look back on your first year in Barcelona? In which area have you made the most progress?

The first two months were the most difficult. Not just physically, but also mentally. I can still remember the first training session very well. We started with runs and I realized relatively quickly that I couldn't keep up. [...] I certainly made progress in the physical area, but that almost comes naturally when you train with Bonmatí or Putellas. Sometimes the training sessions are almost more strenuous than the games because we almost always have the ball there.

Have you ever had the feeling that everything was getting too much?

In the last game before the Christmas break, I played disastrously in the B team against Real Madrid and the coach took me off during the break. That's when I felt I had to go home, I needed my family. That was the first time my head burst.

After your goal in the Champions League against Wolfsburg, you were compared to Lionel Messi. Does that put you under pressure?

Actually, I don't get that because I distance myself from social media. As far as Instagram is concerned, I don't really look at the comments. And I just try to keep my feet on the ground and keep working hard.

Lamine Yamal commented on an Instagram post of yours with a flame. What went through your mind or did you not even see that?

Of course I saw it, you don't have to look at the comments. But I knew him beforehand because I met him at an Adidas shoot. We've supported each other a bit since then.

Do people often recognize you on the street now?

There are already people who recognize me. But it's not like I have to stop every five minutes.

Do you find it nice or rather annoying when you are recognized?

Actually, I think it's rather nice. But there are also people who run after you, even though they actually know that you don't want to talk to them. And then they keep coming back ... But that's really only the case at Barça.

What are your personal goals for the future?

My biggest goal is to win the Ballon d'Or, actually since I started playing football. But first I want to get better and gain experience. I'm learning from the best at Barça, but also in the national team. I'm confident that I can do it. But I'm also trying to keep my feet on the ground.