Steep rise to number 1 Three years ago, national team goalie Elvira Herzog still had to wash her jersey herself

In 2013, Nadine Angerer became the first goalkeeper to be crowned world number one, beaming for the cameras alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Since April of this year, it has been her job to tease the maximum out of the Swiss goalkeepers. Now she has made Elvira Herzog number 1.

Pia Sundhage, the best female coach in the world in 2012, has been in charge of the Swiss women's national team since the beginning of the year. In April, a legend was added to the staff: Nadine Angerer, who won two world titles (2003 and 2007) and five European Championship titles (1997, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013) with Germany, joined the team. In her last European Championship triumph, Angerer saves two penalties in the 1-0 win over Norway in the final and later that year becomes the first goalkeeper ever to be named world footballer of the year.

Most recently, Angerer spent eight years as goalkeeping coach at the Portland Thorns in the USA, one of the best club teams in the world. But then the call came from the Swede and the 46-year-old was hooked: "If Pia calls you, you certainly can't say no."

In the last two test matches against Australia (1:1) and France (2:1), Herzog stood between the posts and did a good job. And so Nadine Angerer and Patricia Gsell, also the goalkeeping coach, put their money where their mouths are after the games and appoint Herzog as the new number 1 before she leaves for the club. What tipped the scales? "Elvira has made great progress recently, especially in terms of her leadership qualities. She has a great presence in the penalty area and coaches the team very well from the back. That was a crucial point. The team feels comfortable with Elvira," said Angerer.

Angerer: "..., then I'll go and get a coffee"

With a view to the home European Championships in the summer, it was important for them to establish the hierarchy now so that everyone could grow into their role. Herzog currently has 15 international caps under her belt, Livia Peng 7 and Nadine Böhi none. Herzog was speechless with joy, reports Angerer, while at the same time praising Peng for the way she accepted the decision. In training, too, everyone behaves in an exemplary manner and supports each other. At least that's her impression, she says, as she can't really know for sure. "When they speak 'Schwiizerdütsch' really quickly among themselves, it's not so easy, then I go and get a coffee," jokes Angerer.

The fact that the atmosphere among the goalkeepers is so good is largely thanks to Angerer. The German radiates a lot of positivity and is driving cultural change. In Switzerland, she came across goalkeepers who "just didn't want to make a mistake". That was a bit of a culture shock. In the States, everyone had the goal of becoming "the best goalkeeper in the world". Angerer believes that being somewhere in the middle would be ideal. That's why she doesn't strive for perfection: "There will still be mistakes in the future, even Manuel Neuer will make them in a European Championship quarter-final. The important thing is to keep going." The foundations have been laid. "I'm very happy so far. But they're all still a bit too sweet. We're working on it, but you can't change that overnight."

... the moment she found out that she was the new number 1

"I will definitely never forget that moment. It means the world to me to be trusted by a football legend like Pia Sundhage and also by Nadine Angerer"

... her goals with the national team

"I want to repay the trust and prove that I deserve it. And I hope that I can help the team with my performances and that we can achieve our big goals."

... her relationship with competitor Livia Peng

"I think we have a very, very good atmosphere in the whole goalie team. A good mix of ambition and healthy competition. But also mutual support to push each other to top performances, because of course it helps the whole team if we do our job well in training and in games. It's important to maintain a healthy balance."

... the transformation of women's football

"I'm glad that we have a great caretaker who does our laundry. When I was still playing for Cologne in the Bundesliga, we had to take our jerseys home and wash them ourselves. That was three years ago. So it's not so long ago that you say: 'Yes, of course, that makes sense'. So I'm just happy that we've taken a step forward. And I hope and expect that the European Championship, for example, will also help us in this respect, that such thoughts will disappear from people's minds. And that women's football will receive much more attention and appreciation. That girls don't have to listen to any bullying and that no obstacles are put in their way if they want to 'tschutten'."

Accolade from the national team coachSundhage: "Iman Beney is unique and has a bright future ahead of her"

... Goalkeeping coach Nadine Angerer

"She has a lot of experience. Mental stories in particular are extremely exciting because she has naturally played and performed at an absolutely top level. That's extremely important and we can all learn a lot from her because she conveys everything to us in a very pleasant way."

... the changes under Pia Sundhage

"The biggest thing that has changed or developed is that we as a team - and each individual player - have much more self-confidence. You can tell that we go onto the pitch with more self-confidence and say: 'Of course we can win the game against France and of course we can now compete with Germany on Friday'. The results back that up. A very good feeling on the pitch, a very good team spirit. We've developed a lot this year."

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