I’m a women’s football star but I also have a second job trying to find new team-mates for Harry Kane
Sweden legend Magdalena Eriksson has opened up about being a scout for Bayern Munich… while also playing for the club.
The 32-year-old joined Bayern from Chelsea in 2023 and has since won three Frauen-Bundesliga titles and the DFB-Pokal Frauen.
While she is an important player on the pitch, Eriksson has also established herself as a trusted figure behind the scenes.
Last month, while appearing as a pundit on Swedish TV for Bayern vs Real Madrid in the Champions League, the defender explained that she has been working as a scout for the men’s team.
The former Chelsea star took up the role in September after being asked by head of scouting Nils Schmadtke, who believed she could contribute a unique perspective.
In a column for The Guardian this week, she said: “It was important to me that it wasn’t a token appointment. I was actually approached almost exactly a year ago.
“I have been a Bayern player since 2023 and received an email from someone with a Bayern email address that I didn’t recognise.
“I thought they maybe wanted to talk about women’s football. As I understand it, they asked the women’s club’s director of football, Bianca Rech, whether someone in the women’s team would fit the role.
“Knowing that I love to watch football – I’m a bit of a nerd like that – and that I’m getting older, she recommended me.
“We arranged to meet and during that meeting I realised they were interested in me joining their department. I was totally honoured. They said: ‘Magda, you can go home and think about it and let us know.’ I said: ‘I don’t need to think about it.’
“It felt like such a great opportunity and was something I had never imagined because in women’s football scouting departments are rare because when there are limited resources you put them where they’re most needed.
“Now, with more and more resources and more and more talent out there, I think creating scouting departments for women’s teams is going to be crucial for the development of the game.”
Eriksson began training for the role last summer and continued throughout Euro 2025 while appearing for Sweden.
And since adapting to the position, she has been allocated South America to scout.
She added: “It has been extremely interesting for me because normally when I watch a game I look at it through the lens of a centre-back.
“Now I’m being forced to look at it from the perspective of a midfielder, forward or a winger too and that is widening my knowledge.
“Understanding what makes a really good midfielder and winger is maybe something I hadn’t really reflected on.”
Eriksson kicked off her professional career in Sweden with Hammarby before joining Djurgardens in 2012 for a season.
She then spent four years with Linköping before moving to Chelsea.
Following a five-year stint in London – where she won five WSL titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups – she completed a move to Bayern alongside her partner, Pernille Harder.
Eriksson retired from international football in November, having earned 123 caps.
