Latest news with #JohannaRyttingKaneryd
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Rytting Kaneryd signs Chelsea contract extension
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd has promised there is "much more to come" after signing a contract extension which will keep her at Chelsea until summer 28-year-old Sweden international has helped the Blues win six trophies in three seasons since arriving in London from BK Hacken in August 2022, chalking up more than 100 appearances along the way.A key member of Chelsea's unbeaten domestic treble-winning squad during the 2024-25 season, she featured in 21 of their 22 Women's Super League matches, scoring five goals."I am delighted to extend my time here because I really do love this place. Since the first day I stepped into this club, it has felt like home," Rytting Kaneryd said."I am someone who is always striving to improve and I know there is much more to come from me in the future."Paul Green, Chelsea's head of women's football, added: "Johanna has played an important part in our success since joining the club ahead of the 2022-23 campaign."She has been among our highest appearance makers [and] we are looking forward to seeing Johanna continue to progress with us in the forthcoming years."
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd: How Chelsea's ‘Sonic the Hedgehog' found her strength
The word 'Invincible' has different meanings for different people. For most at Chelsea, it is completing an unbeaten domestic season by winning the treble in the Women's FA Cup final at Wembley on Sunday. For Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, the club's speedy, direct winger, the feeling of 'invincibility' is a little like controlling the main character in a video game, whirring through levels in a blue flash and dodging enemies in the pursuit of golden rings. A bit like Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic, to be fair, would be a pretty good winger, too. It's why Kaneryd's Chelsea and Sweden international team-mate Zecira Musovic started calling her by that nickname earlier this season, when the 28-year-old was tearing through the Women's Super League and emerging as a key player under Sonia Bompastor. There was confidence from the opening game, as Kaneryd scored a stunning long-range goal in Bompastor's first win, a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa. Chelsea didn't look back, winning their first nine games in the WSL, the first 14 in all competitions. In the autumn, Rytting Kaneryd scored a goal of the season contender, too, a flying volley on the run as part of a brace in the 5-2 victory over Tottenham. If Chelsea's success this season was built on the seamless transition between Emma Hayes and Bompastor, Kaneryd was pivotal to them hitting the ground running. Talk to anyone around Chelsea and they will suggest that the second half of the season has been more difficult. 'It's been up and downs,' Kaneryd admits. The defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals still stings, but they have passed every other challenge: winning the League Cup, going unbeaten in the WSL, reaching another FA Cup final where they will play Manchester United for the second time in three seasons. For Kaneryd, there has been an extra incentive behind their return to Wembley. Two years ago, when Chelsea beat United 1-0, she was an unused substitute. When Sam Kerr put Chelsea ahead late on, Hayes turned to defenders to see out their lead. Kaneryd had featured in most of Chelsea's that season, her first at the club, but not the FA Cup final. It hurt, of course it did, but Kaneryd can reflect on how she used that disappointment to become a key part in Chelsea's success. 'Looking back at it, I grew a lot as a player and as a person as well,' she says. 'I managed to find my strength somehow. I didn't think I was patient, not as a player or a person, but I managed to work on that that season.' The arrival of Bompastor following the departure of Hayes was another important moment. Kaneryd was left enthused by her first individual meeting with the French coach and her assistant Camille Abily. They outlined how they wanted Chelsea to be a fast, powerful team in attacking transitions and explained how they wanted to utilise Kaneryd's strengths. 'I'm at my best when I play direct,' she says. 'Running in behind, driving with speed.' Kaneryd knew this already, but Bompastor wanted to see more of it. The message was to be herself, for the team. 'I like one-on-ones, I like to take risks,' Kaneryd says. 'Of course I'm not always going to succeed with that, but if I succeed four times out of ten, those four times can be a goal or assist, and that's maybe enough to win a game. It's all about having that confidence.' It's easy to see why Kaneryd, who is out of contract at the end of the season but will hold talks with the club after the FA Cup final, fits so well within Bompastor's system. In Sweden, Kaneryd grew up playing football with her twin brother Marcus on the pitch outside their house. But while he would practice free-kicks at the end of their sessions, she would run with the ball. 'His touch is amazing, I wish I did more of that, but I was just sprinting, sprinting, sprinting,' she says. 'I always loved to run and that's one of my biggest strengths now.' It has become one of Chelsea's biggest strengths, too. Bompastor's team can overrun their opponents and the statement performance of their campaign - the Champions League quarter-final comeback against Manchester City - was an illustration of what they can be like when everything clicks. 'The way we fought, the way we played, the way we created chances…' Kaneryd says. 'It was like, OK, this is Chelsea, this is the way we want to play.' For a relentless team, one final objective awaits. Wembley will be their 40th game of the season. Of the 29 they have played domestically, in the WSL, League Cup and FA Cup, Chelsea have won 26, drawn three and lost none. As Chelsea chase down their own records, an 'Invincible' treble would crown a remarkable season. Since January, Chelsea have won six of those games by scoring after the 80th minute, including in the FA Cup semi-final win over Liverpool and on the final weekend of the season, against the same opposition, to break the WSL's points record. The sense of inevitability that Chelsea would score a late winner, that feeling of the 'mentality monsters', is so deeply embedded that what Kaneryd says next does not even sound like a cliche. 'It's a weird feeling not to be stressed. We just knew we were going to score, we just knew it,' Kaneryd says. 'If you play for Chelsea, it's about winning. It's a culture, this year we always somehow find a way.' Bompastor demands nothing less, admitting herself that she does not let her players 'breathe'. Even as Chelsea won the league with a 1-0 win at Manchester United, she was not happy with their performance. 'We're never, ever satisfied,' Kaneryd says. Now Chelsea and United will meet again. It's been a one-sided rivalry in recent years, though Chelsea still think about the only time they have lost to United, their defeat in last season's FA Cup semi-finals. Kaneryd nods aggressively when asked if that game is still on her mind. 'I like using this, 100 per cent,' she says. 'We have a new opportunity this year, to end this season on a high. It would mean the world to finish the season with the FA Cup trophy. That would be something super special.'
North Wales Chronicle
14-05-2025
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd eager to make most of second appearance in FA Cup final
The Sweden international, signed from from BK Hacken in August 2022, was an unused substitute when the Blues beat Manchester United 1-0 to lift the trophy two seasons ago. Rytting Kaneryd has since gone on to become an integral part of Sonia Bompastor's squad – making 21 appearances during Chelsea's unbeaten Women's Super League title-winning campaign as well as lifting the League Cup. Now a key player in the Chelsea frontline, the 28-year-old is determined not to let the occasion pass anyone by when they face holders United back at Wembley on Sunday. 'It was such a big experience coming from Sweden – I didn't really understand how big it was to play for a final at Wembley,' Rytting Kaneryd said. 'But I realised the way everyone was talking about the FA Cup, that it was huge. 'I realised pretty quick that this is something really, really big to win – and just the fact to play at Wembley, that is what you dream about to play in a big stadium. A post shared by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (@johannakaneryd) 'I remember just walking out there before the game, it was like 'wow, just take this in, take a moment because this is what a young Johanna dreamed about'.' Rytting Kaneryd added: 'The fact that we are here, that we are now going to play another final at Wembley, (we must) use that because it is big. 'We have to really enjoy and take the opportunity, because it is not every day you play a final at Wembley. 'We really want to end this season on a high, so I am very much looking forward to it.' Rytting Kaneryd feels her game is now very much at a different level compared to the 2023 final. A stunning strike from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd 🤩#BarclaysWSL @ChelseaFCW — Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) September 25, 2024 'A lot has happened since that day. It was my first year in Chelsea and I have developed a lot since,' she said. 'The first year was a lot about just learning. It was a big step coming from a Swedish team to Chelsea, so it was all about trying to stay positive and to learn every day. 'I feel like I have improved a lot. It has been about working hard, taking every training session, every game for what it is and trying to always be better. 'I am never, ever happy – I always want to do more, so I definitely feel like I have been growing as a player and a person.' Chelsea secured a sixth straight WSL title with a 1-0 win away to United last month. One year ago today, @manutdwomen were crowned #AdobeWomensFACup champions for the first time in their history 🏆 Will they make it two on the bounce this weekend? 👀 — Adobe Women's FA Cup (@AdobeWFACup) May 12, 2025 Rytting Kaneryd, though, insists there can be no sense of complacency when they take on Marc Skinner's well-drilled side again at Wembley. 'Man United is a really good team, with really good individual players as well,' she said. 'We have to watch out for them and we know it is going to be a physical game, but we need to believe in the way we know we can play. 'Even if we won the league away playing against Man United, we were still not happy with the performance. 'That says a lot about the mentality we have in this team – we always want to do do better.'
Rhyl Journal
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd eager to make most of second appearance in FA Cup final
The Sweden international, signed from from BK Hacken in August 2022, was an unused substitute when the Blues beat Manchester United 1-0 to lift the trophy two seasons ago. Rytting Kaneryd has since gone on to become an integral part of Sonia Bompastor's squad – making 21 appearances during Chelsea's unbeaten Women's Super League title-winning campaign as well as lifting the League Cup. Now a key player in the Chelsea frontline, the 28-year-old is determined not to let the occasion pass anyone by when they face holders United back at Wembley on Sunday. 'It was such a big experience coming from Sweden – I didn't really understand how big it was to play for a final at Wembley,' Rytting Kaneryd said. 'But I realised the way everyone was talking about the FA Cup, that it was huge. 'I realised pretty quick that this is something really, really big to win – and just the fact to play at Wembley, that is what you dream about to play in a big stadium. A post shared by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (@johannakaneryd) 'I remember just walking out there before the game, it was like 'wow, just take this in, take a moment because this is what a young Johanna dreamed about'.' Rytting Kaneryd added: 'The fact that we are here, that we are now going to play another final at Wembley, (we must) use that because it is big. 'We have to really enjoy and take the opportunity, because it is not every day you play a final at Wembley. 'We really want to end this season on a high, so I am very much looking forward to it.' Rytting Kaneryd feels her game is now very much at a different level compared to the 2023 final. A stunning strike from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd 🤩#BarclaysWSL @ChelseaFCW — Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) September 25, 2024 'A lot has happened since that day. It was my first year in Chelsea and I have developed a lot since,' she said. 'The first year was a lot about just learning. It was a big step coming from a Swedish team to Chelsea, so it was all about trying to stay positive and to learn every day. 'I feel like I have improved a lot. It has been about working hard, taking every training session, every game for what it is and trying to always be better. 'I am never, ever happy – I always want to do more, so I definitely feel like I have been growing as a player and a person.' Chelsea secured a sixth straight WSL title with a 1-0 win away to United last month. One year ago today, @manutdwomen were crowned #AdobeWomensFACup champions for the first time in their history 🏆 Will they make it two on the bounce this weekend? 👀 — Adobe Women's FA Cup (@AdobeWFACup) May 12, 2025 Rytting Kaneryd, though, insists there can be no sense of complacency when they take on Marc Skinner's well-drilled side again at Wembley. 'Man United is a really good team, with really good individual players as well,' she said. 'We have to watch out for them and we know it is going to be a physical game, but we need to believe in the way we know we can play. 'Even if we won the league away playing against Man United, we were still not happy with the performance. 'That says a lot about the mentality we have in this team – we always want to do do better.'
South Wales Guardian
14-05-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd eager to make most of second appearance in FA Cup final
The Sweden international, signed from from BK Hacken in August 2022, was an unused substitute when the Blues beat Manchester United 1-0 to lift the trophy two seasons ago. Rytting Kaneryd has since gone on to become an integral part of Sonia Bompastor's squad – making 21 appearances during Chelsea's unbeaten Women's Super League title-winning campaign as well as lifting the League Cup. Now a key player in the Chelsea frontline, the 28-year-old is determined not to let the occasion pass anyone by when they face holders United back at Wembley on Sunday. 'It was such a big experience coming from Sweden – I didn't really understand how big it was to play for a final at Wembley,' Rytting Kaneryd said. 'But I realised the way everyone was talking about the FA Cup, that it was huge. 'I realised pretty quick that this is something really, really big to win – and just the fact to play at Wembley, that is what you dream about to play in a big stadium. A post shared by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (@johannakaneryd) 'I remember just walking out there before the game, it was like 'wow, just take this in, take a moment because this is what a young Johanna dreamed about'.' Rytting Kaneryd added: 'The fact that we are here, that we are now going to play another final at Wembley, (we must) use that because it is big. 'We have to really enjoy and take the opportunity, because it is not every day you play a final at Wembley. 'We really want to end this season on a high, so I am very much looking forward to it.' Rytting Kaneryd feels her game is now very much at a different level compared to the 2023 final. A stunning strike from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd 🤩#BarclaysWSL @ChelseaFCW — Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) September 25, 2024 'A lot has happened since that day. It was my first year in Chelsea and I have developed a lot since,' she said. 'The first year was a lot about just learning. It was a big step coming from a Swedish team to Chelsea, so it was all about trying to stay positive and to learn every day. 'I feel like I have improved a lot. It has been about working hard, taking every training session, every game for what it is and trying to always be better. 'I am never, ever happy – I always want to do more, so I definitely feel like I have been growing as a player and a person.' Chelsea secured a sixth straight WSL title with a 1-0 win away to United last month. One year ago today, @manutdwomen were crowned #AdobeWomensFACup champions for the first time in their history 🏆 Will they make it two on the bounce this weekend? 👀 — Adobe Women's FA Cup (@AdobeWFACup) May 12, 2025 Rytting Kaneryd, though, insists there can be no sense of complacency when they take on Marc Skinner's well-drilled side again at Wembley. 'Man United is a really good team, with really good individual players as well,' she said. 'We have to watch out for them and we know it is going to be a physical game, but we need to believe in the way we know we can play. 'Even if we won the league away playing against Man United, we were still not happy with the performance. 'That says a lot about the mentality we have in this team – we always want to do do better.'
