Alisha Lehmann is one of the most recognisable women’s footballers on the planet. No one in the sport has more social media followers than the Switzerland winger, who has racked up 60 senior caps and represented West Ham, Everton, Aston Villa and, currently, Juventus. However, for a while, the 26-year-old’s bad luck when it comes to major international tournaments looked set to continue in a big way this summer.
Lehmann missed the 2019 Women’s World Cup due to an ankle injury, sustained in national team training, that required surgery; she ruled herself out of Euro 2022, describing herself as not being "mentally ready" to compete; and then, in Switzerland's first two camps of 2025, she wasn't called into Pia Sundhage's squad, just months before her nation was set to host the European Championship. To miss out on the honour of playing in a major tournament on home soil would be heart-breaking for any player.
Fortunately for Lehmann, things have turned around. After more than five months without a call-up, she was brought back into camp by Sundhage before being confirmed as part of the Euros squad at the end of last month. So how did she manage to go from almost out of the picture to back in the frame for La Nati's biggest-ever summer - and how big of a role will she now play?