At the age of 18, Alma Aagaard has rocketed from the fields of her childhood club, Snekkersten, to the big stage of women’s elite soccer.

Alma Aagaard, a former Kronborg Cup participant who played for Snekkersten IF and FC Helsingør, won “The Double” with FC Nordsjælland in June 2024, securing the Women’s League championship and a cup victory over Brøndby IF, in which Alma sealed the 2-0 win.

At the age of 4, Alma began playing soccer at her local club, Snekkersten IF. After several years at Snekkersten, the elite environment at FC Helsingør caught Alma’s attention. Even then, Alma was an obvious talent, and a few years later, FC Nordsjælland signed one of Denmark’s most dangerous strikers, and she has since become a regular member of the first-team squad. Alma’s keen eye for the goal was already evident at the 2022 U17 European Championship in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she was co-top scorer for Denmark.

In the spring of 2024, Alma signed a 2.5-year contract extension with FC Nordsjælland. This came just half a year after she was promoted to the Kvindeliga squad in September 2023.

A truly special talent
It was not without reason that FC Nordsjælland brought Alma into the club’s youth academy. Jessica Davis, Sports Director for the Women’s League team, said on FC Nordsjælland’s website upon Alma’s contract extension:

“If I had to describe Alma in one word, it would be ‘dangerous.’ She makes a lot of smart runs that put her in good positions in front of the goal, and she’s fearless when she receives the ball in the box. I think it’s that combination that makes her special and a little different from many of her peers.”.

"Man, it's so embarrassing when a girl scores."
As a youth player, Alma mainly played with boys her own age. It wasn’t until she was 14 that she played on a team with girls her own age.

It wasn’t entirely without its challenges for Alma to be so talented on the field while also being the only girl among all the boys. Among other things, Alma recalls a game where her opponents showed some jealousy:

“I was a girl who played with the boys. I once scored against a boys’ team, and one of the boys blurted out, ‘Shut up—it’s so embarrassing that a girl scored.’”.”

Fond memories of the Kronborg Cup
Alma joins a growing list of former local youth players who are now professional soccer players, but who all participated in the Kronborg Cup at the recreational level during their youth.

During her teenage years, the Kronborg Cup was part of Alma’s summer vacation, which she always looked forward to with great excitement. Her memories also include several medals from the tournament.

"I remember the Kronborg Cup as one of the coolest things about my summer. It was something I always looked forward to, and something I loved taking part in. I have medals from it, and that's really cool."

A Future Abroad
Right now, Alma is making her mark in Farum, where she trains every day to become even better. Someday in the future, Alma dreams of leaving Denmark for one of the bigger clubs in England. If Alma had to name some favorite players who inspire her, they would be Sam Kerr and Eden Hazard from Chelsea—and it’s precisely at Chelsea that Alma dreams of seeing herself in five years.

"In five years, I hope to be playing abroad, and maybe on the women's national team. My dream, of course, is to play for Chelsea."

The fact that Alma has gotten to where she is today—achieving such great results in such a short time—makes her really proud and happy:

"A 10-year-old Alma probably couldn't have imagined how far I've come today. It's a dream come true for her to score in a cup final and help her club win The Double! I think little me would be proud, too."

A Word of Advice
If Alma were to offer a piece of advice to the many young soccer players, it would be:

"Have fun. I think the reason I've become good is because I've loved playing. When I didn't have a ball, I played with an invisible one. So the most important thing is to love the game and treat it a little like play—because why else would you do it?"

Get a glimpse into Alma Aagaard's journey from Snekkersten to her life as a professional soccer player in the video below.

Photo: fodboldbilleder.dk