Swiss attacker Alisha Lehmann will be well known to fans of the Barclay’s Women’s Super League, having played for West Ham, Everton and, since 2021, Aston Villa, where she links up with Lionesses Rachel Daly and Jordan Nobbs to often devastating effect.
But the 24-year-old is arguably even better known online thanks to her huge following on Instagram, where she has 13m followers – more than fellow Swiss sporting great Roger Federer – and reportedly earns as much as £241,314 for sponsored posts, according to The Sun.
Speaking to Sky Sports in the run-up to this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Lehmann reflected on how far she had come from her hometown of Tagertschi on the outskirts of Bern.
“I grew up in a country village in Switzerland,” she said. “When I go home, we still have a lot of animals – horses and dogs. Everything was so different.
“We just played street football all day. When a car came, we shouted: ‘Car! Move!’ It was so normal. Now it’s a bit different! This makes me so humble because I can always think about this moment. There is a difference now, I live in a big city. But I never forget it.”
Switzerland will be seeking to make a particular impression at this World Cup as the country prepares to host the next Euros in 2025.
In addition to Lehmann, coach Inka Grings has Arsenal’s Lia Walti, PSG forward Ramona Bachmann and Barcelona winger Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic to call upon in a tricky group that will see them play the Philippines, Norway and hosts New Zealand, the latter likely to benefit from some passionate home support.
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