The Big Interview: Josefine Hasbo

The Danish midfielder represented her country at last summer's World Cup, all while studying at one of the world's top universities. Her journey so far is unique, as she shares with WFC...

Josefine Hasbo in action for Denmark

This is not an ordinary international trip for Denmark’s Josefine Hasbo, but by her own standards she is “used to” what her trips away from her temporary home in the USA entail.

Hasbo’s in Spain for a camp with her national team, but while she tells me her teammates are out either watching the U23s play, who are also in Marbella, and others have gone into town for a day out, she is hold up in her hotel room waiting to jump onto an online class once our interview is finished.

That’s because the 22-year-old, who has a handful of senior caps to her name, is also a student at one of the most prestigious universities in the world – Harvard.

That’s why she is used to her reality, because she’s been a student at the Boston-based university since 2021 and still has 18 months of her course in economics and psychology left to run before she graduates and can leave behind juggling football and education.

But this is Harvard, and the schedule is demanding, hence why she’s sat waiting for an online course to start rather than being out with her teammates.

“I’m a full-time student when I’m not out enjoying the sun,” Hasbo laughs. “It’s a balance, right? I know now how to plan my studies around both my worlds, but my day is naturally quite different to my teammates’ and will be for the next 18 months.

“I very much appreciate though I have the chance to do both and get my education while I can play football at the same time.”

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Despite her hectic schedule, Hasbo is one of the politest and most engaging footballers you could wish to speak to.

Before we speak, she messages me to ask if we can start 10 minutes earlier, not because she’s in a rush, but she wants the extra 10 minutes to ask me about my job and my views on the women’s game.

This is something she’s been doing for nearly three years now, so she’s well versed in how to juggle her time away from the university when with the national team and still ensuring she does everything she needs to in order to leave Harvard with the best qualifications possible.

I jest she must be lucky to be talented both on and off the field, given how tough it is to get into any of the Ivy League universities, with Harvard one of the most prestigious even within its own small group of seven.

“I think it’s a combination of hard work and luck,” she says. “I was fortunate to get recruited by our current assistant coach all the way back in 2015. Even back then, I was only 15 and kind of knew if I wanted to do both and go to a place like Harvard I’d have to study properly and it gave me motivation during my high school years and with the youth national teams.