Sydney Schertenleib: Barcelona's Ballon d'Or hungry teenager hoping to propel Euro 2025 hosts Switzerland to new heights

Pia Sundhage has put immense trust in the 18-year-old as the home nation aim to go beyond the group stage for the first time

Tickets

Women's Euro Tickets

• Secure your Women's Euro 2025 tickets for this summer's international tournament
• Location: Switzerland
• Stadiums: Various, including St. Jakob Park, Stadion Wankdorf, Stade de Genève and more
• Date: July 2 – 27
• Final: July 27, St. Jakob Park

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€149

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Accommodation

Where to stay

• Book hotels, apartments and accommodation across Switzerland for the Women's Euros
• Search for places to stay near the stadiums, across Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and more
• Look for accommodation based on your dates, number of bedrooms, and budget on Booking.com

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€49

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Kits

Shop your kit

• New kits from adidas, Nike and Puma have been released for the Women's Euro tournament
• Grab your favourite team's kit to support throughout the games
• Search for your team, including Italy, England, Germany and more
• Available in sizes XS – XXL

From

€50

Buy nowRead More

Tickets

Women's Euro Tickets

• Secure your Women's Euro 2025 tickets for this summer's international tournament
• Location: Switzerland
• Stadiums: Various, including St. Jakob Park, Stadion Wankdorf, Stade de Genève and more
• Date: July 2 – 27
• Final: July 27, St. Jakob Park

From

€149

Buy nowRead More

Accommodation

Where to stay

• Book hotels, apartments and accommodation across Switzerland for the Women's Euros
• Search for places to stay near the stadiums, across Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and more
• Look for accommodation based on your dates, number of bedrooms, and budget on Booking.com

From

€49

Book nowRead More

Kits

Shop your kit

• New kits from adidas, Nike and Puma have been released for the Women's Euro tournament
• Grab your favourite team's kit to support throughout the games
• Search for your team, including Italy, England, Germany and more
• Available in sizes XS – XXL

From

€50

Buy nowRead More

Tickets

Women's Euro Tickets

• Secure your Women's Euro 2025 tickets for this summer's international tournament
• Location: Switzerland
• Stadiums: Various, including St. Jakob Park, Stadion Wankdorf, Stade de Genève and more
• Date: July 2 – 27
• Final: July 27, St. Jakob Park

From

€149

Buy nowRead More

Accommodation

Where to stay

• Book hotels, apartments and accommodation across Switzerland for the Women's Euros
• Search for places to stay near the stadiums, across Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and more
• Look for accommodation based on your dates, number of bedrooms, and budget on Booking.com

From

€49

Book nowRead More

Kits

Shop your kit

• New kits from adidas, Nike and Puma have been released for the Women's Euro tournament
• Grab your favourite team's kit to support throughout the games
• Search for your team, including Italy, England, Germany and more
• Available in sizes XS – XXL

From

€50

Buy nowRead More

Switzerland has some way to go in order to become a real force in the women's game, but it is still a country that has produced its fair share of fantastic female footballers. Lara Dickenmann, Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic and Lia Walti are all Champions League winners and would be well in the mix in a debate regarding the country's greatest-ever women's player, with Ramona Bachmann another name right up there. In 10 years time, Sydney Schertenleib, the youngest member of La Nati's squad for their home European Championship, might well have a compelling case, too.

While that might be a bold statement to make about someone who is still only 18 years old, it is indicative of the talent Schertenleib possesses and the excitement that surrounds her, the kind of which has certainly been accelerated by last summer's move to Barcelona and the performances the versatile teenager has put in since.

In Catalunya, Schertenleib is a small fish in a big pond. She's a promising young talent who is proving her worth and making significant contributions already, but it is the likes of Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati who absorb the majority of the limelight and carry more of the pressure. With Switzerland, things are slightly different. Though some of that still applies, there is also a feeling that she is a generational talent who could help propel this national team to new heights – starting at this month's Euros, to be played on home soil.

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  Where it all began

  Born in Zurich, Schertenleib was exposed to football from a very young age as her father played for FC Wadenswil, a club in the lower leagues in Switzerland. "I always went to his matches," she told reporters recently. "And in kindergarten, I used to play with the boys at recess. I loved the looks on the boys' faces when I dribbled past them. That always spurred me on to keep playing."

  She would start playing club football in the junior section of FC Wadenswil before joining FC Zurich at the age of 10, progressing gradually through the youth teams during a six-year stay. One of the highlights of that period was the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup back in 2022, for Under-19 sides, in which she helped Zurich defeat Lyon in the final.

  Schertenleib played often in Zurich's U21s and was on the fringes of the first team, though did not start regularly due to competition for places in one of Switzerland's best sides. As such, aged 16, she moved to city rivals Grasshoppers, where she was able to firmly establish herself in the line-up and get the senior game time needed to aid her development.

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• Getty Images
  

  The big break

  Schertenleib's senior Switzerland debut came during her lone season with Grasshoppers, less than a month after her 17th birthday, but it was the teenager's move to Barcelona which really thrust her name into the spotlight in a big way. It was a transfer that actually came about through Instagram, she has since revealed, telling reporters: "My dad said, ‘We’ll talk about Barcelona later’. I was like, ‘What?’ He said, ‘Didn’t you see the message?’ I opened Instagram, all flustered, and there it was.”

  The teenager initially played for Barca's talented B team, which has helped to develop several young stars set to play at this summer's Euros, and impressed quickly to earn her first-team debut by November. Once there, she would only become more and more involved as the Catalans secured a domestic treble and reached the Champions League final, losing 1-0 to Arsenal.

  Schertenleib ended her first season with the club with one goal and three assists in her 18 league appearances, just eight of them starts, as well as a strike from her 54 minutes of European action in one of the very best, and most competitive, squads on the continent.

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  How it's going

  Now, Schertenleib is set for the monumental honour of representing her country in a home Euros, at just 18 years old. She will be a key starter, too, with head coach Pia Sundhage having put serious faith in the talented teen since her appointment by the federation in January 2024.

  In the Nations League, which dominated Switzerland's schedule in the first half of 2025, Schertenleib started all six games, mostly as part of a front two in the Swiss' 3-5-2 set-up. It's not a position she has played much at all in her career, having largely excelled in any of the three midfield roles, but it is one in which she has provided some magic for La Nati, most notably with her sublime strike against Norway back in February.

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  Biggest strengths

  Schertenleib's most obvious strength is her incredible technical talent, the kind of which is best summed up by Veronica Maglia, who coached the Barcelona starlet in Switzerland's U17s. Asked by GOAL what made Schertenleib stand-out when she first watched her play, Maglia simply said: "The ball was, and is, virtually an extension of her body."

  The 18-year-old is a wonderful dribbler, she has an impressive passing range and her fantastic understanding of the game overall allows her to easily switch between the different roles in midfield, making her effective as a deep-lying playmaker, an exciting box-to-box goal-threat or a creative No.10. "She radiates confidence in the team thanks to her quality," Maglia added. "She makes her team-mates better with her skills. She always puts herself at the service of the team."

  Underneath it all is Schertenleib's top attitude and work ethic. Maglia is keen to highlight how "attentive" the teenager is when it comes to analysis and tactical elements of training, as well as her desire to win: "In matches, you can compare her to a lioness who goes hunting hungry. When she was 'angry' because she had one or two not so good actions, she always had the ability to turn up three or four gears and decide the game. She always wants to win."