Sydney Schertenleib: The Swiss Teen with Ballon d'Or Ambitions Who Trains with Boys and Dreams Huge

Picture this: an 18-year-old from a country more famous for chocolate and watches than World Cup heroics stands up and says her ultimate aim is the Ballon d'Or. Sounds like hubris, right? But with Sydney Schertenleib, the NXGN 2026 women's winner, those who know her reckon it's not just talk.

Last summer, before her Euro 2025 bow for hosts Switzerland, she dropped that bombshell to the press. In a nation of just nine million where no woman's ever sniffed the Ballon d'Or Feminin shortlist, it raised eyebrows. Yet coaches who've moulded her, like Alexandra Szarvas from the Swiss FA and Daniel Gygax from FC Zurich's youth setup, aren't laughing. 'She's got the talent and the graft,' they chorus.

A Prodigy Forged in Boys' Battles

Born in Zurich in 2007, Schertenleib joined FC Zurich's academy at 10, but here's the kicker – she was smashing it with the lads. No watered-down girls' teams for her; she held her own against boys her age right up to U16 level. Gygax, her coach there, spotted her spark early: 'The physical gap usually kicks in at 14 or 15, but not with Sydney. She was levels above.'

Training with boys sharpened her edge – faster pace, higher intensity, no mercy. 'It made her body and skills bulletproof,' Gygax explains. Away on youth internationals? She'd come back moaning about missing Zurich sessions because the girls' camps were a breeze. Talk about a hunger that'd make you spill your pint.

Szarvas, who worked with Switzerland's U16, U17 and U19 sides, met her as the baby of the squad. 'Unbelievable potential,' she says. One nitpick? Her counter-pressing was slack. Told once, Schertenleib fixed it sharpish – and still texts Szarvas about it. Humble pie? Nah, just a team player with a winner's mentality.

Ditching Comfort for the Big Time

Talent alone doesn't cut it, though. FC Zurich promoted her to the women's first team, clinching the league, but minutes were scarce. Gutted? Gygax was fuming: 'One of our biggest prospects, and they sidelined her? Madness.'

Schertenleib voted with her feet, jumping to rivals Grasshoppers – a side Zurich had just dumped out of playoffs. Weaker squad, sure, but she lit it up, racking up far more game time in one season than the last at her boyhood club. Proved her point, didn't she?

Then, the rocket to Barcelona. Debuting for Switzerland's seniors at 17, she's now rubbing shoulders with actual Ballon d'Or holders like Alexia Putellas and co. 'She trains with the best, so why not dream big?' Gygax shrugs. Szarvas adds: 'She backs her words with work. Arrogant? Nah, just driven.'

In tiny Switzerland, where only eight lads have ever longlisted for the men's Ballon, her chutzpah is refreshing. No powerhouse nation here, but Schertenleib's rewriting the script. Easy on the eye too – fluid style, bags of skill. Watch her glide past defenders, and you'll get why the hype's real.

She's humble off-pitch, all the same. Achievements stacking up like your mate's empty glasses, yet no ego swell. As Szarvas puts it, 'Nice kid, team first.' If she keeps climbing, that Ballon chat won't seem so daft. From Zurich boys' pitches to Camp Nou stardom – this one's got the lot. Keep an eye, lads; she's the future.

(Drawing on insights from GOAL.com)