We feature Pernille Harder in our latest Getting to Know Chelsea Women feature. The Danish and Blues striker gives us an insight into her life away from football…
Our No.23 tells us how she became interested in football, who inspired her growing up and how she likes to spend her downtime in London...
Throwing it back to where it all started. How did you get into football?
My parents played football, my big sister played football, my grandad played football, so it was always just football in the family. I think it helped my parents encouraged me to start and then I loved it!
Who was your favourite footballer growing up and why?
Marta Vieira da Silva, she was one of the only women’s players I could find clips of on Youtube! She’s just an amazing football player and won FIFA Player of the Year, five years in a row. I was also a fan of David Beckham as I was a United fan and also Ryan Giggs, they were my favourites.
When you joined Chelsea, did you have to sing a song at your initiation?
Yes, we sang Call me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson. It was maybe me, Melanie, Sam and Niamh also I think!
Favourite food to cook at home?
That’s difficult but I do like a good homemade poke bowl.
And on the flipside, if you’re heading out for dinner, where’s top of the list?
Asian! 100 per cent my favourite cuisine.
Do you have any interesting hobbies that we aren’t aware of?
I enjoy playing golf. I started to paint but I’m not good at it! My style is abstract, but I couldn’t really call it a hobby as I’m really bad! I always wanted to paint, so I started to do it but then I found out why I don’t do it that much because I don’t have the patience for it!
What’s would be your ideal superpower?
It would be flying so I could fly home to my family, fly to my friends abroad whenever I wanted to!
If you can jet off on holiday anywhere in the world right now, where are you going?
Philippines
What’s top of your music playlist right now?
It’s actually Bob Marley, I just have his greatest playlist. I like all of them!
TV series can’t stop watching?
I’ve just finished Formula 1 season four, that’s my most recent!
Were you a big Formula 1 fan before you watched the series?
No not at all but it’s really helped a lot.
What do you like most about living in the UK?
I think it’s living in London specifically. There’s a lot of good restaurants, shopping and so much to do.
If you had a dream day off in London, what are you doing?
First of all, I’d have an easy morning at home. Then I would go into London and get a good lunch, go shopping and then have a really nice dinner as well. There’s lots of nice restaurants.
We know you really like it here, but if you had to choose something that you least liked about living here what would it be?
The weather! Also, sometimes it’s really busy here in London. I’m from the countryside in Denmark with around 30,000 people in the city I come from, so it’s a big difference.
Any home comforts you miss most?
Something called Smørrebrød, it’s like a rye bread with a lot of good stuff added on top of it. That’s a Danish traditional food.