Pia Sundhage – "England are very different today...this will be a great learning lesson"

Ahead of the Women's Finalissima between the European and South American champions, Brazil's head coach sits down with World Soccer to discuss her team

- By Asif Burhan

As a player you won the European Championship in England in 1984, and as a coach you won Olympic Gold in England in 2012. Do you consider England to be your lucky country?

I would say football is my lucky sport, more so. The best sport of all. But yes, I was very excited to go to Wembley Stadium in 2012 with the United States national team. That was a very exciting time for me and for women’s football. It was great.

At the European Championship in 1984 you were the top scorer and player of the tournament. It remains Sweden’s only major international title – was the final your best day as a player?

I think so. In later years, the coach changed my position. All the way up to 1984 I was a forward, then the women’s game grew. I was lucky, the coaches put me in different positions and I had a chance to learn the game in a broader way: from a forward, to midfielder, to wing player and then actually as a sweeper. In 1984, there was a lot of goalscoring, of course. I think that was one of my best years.

How was that European title received when you returned home to Sweden? Did the media make you and your team-mates feel like champions?