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Madrid, Aug 6 (EFE).– By Rita Cardeira
After years of chasing Barcelona’s shadow, Real Madrid women are rallying a new force from the north, with a wave of Scandinavian signings and a fresh tactical identity.
The club is entering its Viking era, structured, fearless, and ready to raid this summer. Under new coach Pau Quesada, the team has placed Scandinavian talent at the forefront.
This is no isolated move, but a growing trend that is beginning to shape the team’s evolving identity.
In this transfer window, the club has turned decisively toward Scandinavia, a region that, in recent years, has emerged as a rich breeding ground for natural footballing talent.
Three of the new signings hail from the north: Denmark’s Sara Holmgaard and Sweden’s Hanna Bennison and Bella Andersson, who join established Nordic teammates Filippa Angeldahl and Signe Bruun.
With their arrival, the Nordic presence in the squad reaches a record five players, up from just two in its inaugural season, making them the second-largest national group, behind only the Spanish.
A Nordic profile for a new model
Following Alberto Toril’s departure and Quesada’s promotion from the women’s Castilla side, the club has worked to build a squad that not only competes in the Liga F and Champions League, but also aligns with a more technical, structured, and physically demanding style of play.
While Sweden was an early trailblazer in women’s football, winning the inaugural European Championship in 1984 and rising to prominence with Umeå IK, Champions League winners in 2003 and 2004, it still offers a relatively accessible market.
That contrasts with the more inflated, competitive, and media-driven English or American leagues.
Yet it continues to produce players with a strong technical and physical foundation and an outstanding capacity to sustain a high tempo throughout the full 90 minutes.
It’s no surprise that top European clubs like Wolfsburg, Lyon, and Chelsea have increasingly turned to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in recent years to bolster key positions.
A more united Madrid
At Real Madrid, the goal isn’t just to sign talent, but to build a cohesive, adaptable, and fiercely competitive unit.
In that sense, Scandinavian football culture provides fertile ground for fostering a more unified squad, less reliant on individual stars like Athenea del Castillo or Caroline Weir, particularly following the departure of captain Olga Carmona.
To that end, Holmgaard brings width and discipline to the defense, Bennison, a dynamic midfielder, has the potential to become the side’s metronome in transitions, and Andersson, tall (1.83m), explosive, and direct, could play a crucial role in aerial play.
This commitment to team cohesion is further bolstered by the arrivals of Yasmim and Antônia Silva, fresh off winning the Copa América with Brazil last Saturday, as well as German goalkeeper Merle Frohms and midfielder Sara Däbritz.
Structure Over Stardom
With this international core, anchored by Scandinavian strength, Quesada has a balanced, deep squad capable of aiming beyond the Champions League quarterfinals, a stage the club has yet to surpass.
The ambition is no longer just to compete, it’s to do so consistently. No longer depending on isolated moments of brilliance or historic feats, such as last season’s landmark 3–1 win over Barcelona, the team’s first and only victory against them since the section was founded, but rather through a coherent style of play that allows Madrid to aspire to more than simply chasing their eternal rival.
With tactical discipline, physical intensity, and genuine ambition, the nickname Las Vikingas no longer sounds like a novelty, it’s becoming a fitting reflection of what this team is determined to become.
As a prelude to the official start of the season, the team will test its new lineup on a demanding tour of Germany, where they’ll play two high-profile friendlies: on Aug.17 against Union Berlin, newly promoted to the Frauen-Bundesliga, and on Aug. 21 against Bayern Munich, the reigning champions. EFE rlc-sk