Nadia Nadim and the pursuit of happiness in women's football

The Guardian

01-04-2025

Nadia Nadim was not holding back. Having left Milan for the Swedish side Hammarby she hit out at the Italian club's Dutch manager, Suzanne Bakker, in a forthright interview with Aftonbladet's Amanda Zaza.
'It was a shock to be introduced to her,' said the Afghanistan-born Denmark international, with the two clearly disagreeing on how things should be done. 'I can honestly say that the training sessions at the refugee camps were better.'
Nadim, who has more than 100 international caps and has played for teams such as Portland Thorns, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, joined Milan in January 2024. Bakker arrived the following summer from Ajax, having won the Dutch league in 2022-23 and finished second the season after.
'We had some meetings and I said I didn't understand how she was behaving,' Nadim said. 'I wanted to solve things so I told her how I felt.' Milan, when contacted by the Guardian regarding Nadim's comments, said they were 'focused on their upcoming football commitments'.
Critics would say that Nadim hardly set the world on fire during Bakker's time at the club, the forward scoring once in 14 games, supplying one assist, and that it was time to move on. The key thing for the 37-year-old, meanwhile, seemed to be a search for renewed happiness in her professional life. 'The situation became a bit strange,' Nadim said. 'Life is too short not to be happy.'
The loan move to Sweden means that Nadim, who scored on her debut for Hammarby, can play with freedom again and Milan no longer have an unhappy player in their squad. Bakker can continue working the way she wants and it appears a good deal for everyone.
Two people not getting the best out of each other happens in workplaces all over the world. In football there is the option of a loan move – or a permanent move – to suit everyone; that is not the case in many other businesses.
It was striking that the England international Chloe Kelly also talked about the importance of being happy when her fallout with Manchester City became public at the end of January.
The winger posted a long message on her social media channels, saying that her situation was 'having a huge impact on not only my career but my mental wellbeing. The situation has dragged on for too long, it's disappointing and not right. I'm at a pivotal point in my life and my career is so important to me, and [it] is very disappointing that the sport we love can make you feel this way, especially after there's been so much growth in our sport.'
She finished her statement with: 'I am human and I will give everything to the game that I love. Ultimately, I just want to be happy again.' A day later Kelly joined Arsenal and she is now playing regularly and has made it back into Sarina Wiegman's England squad before the Euros. 'What we want is that Kelly shows her qualities and she's at her best because it will help the team,' Wiegman said. 'You need the minutes and you can tell she's enjoying it now.'
Nadim and Kelly decided to change clubs to break out of a bad situation. Not every player has that opportunity and some stay even if they are not playing. Either way, the impact of a player's wellbeing should never be underestimated. Milan, City, Nadim and Kelly have learned that and will surely bear that in mind when the summer comes and the two loan spells are over.
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