Jacob Widell Zetterstrom: Derby County keeper thanks mum for career revival

Within four years of his return, he has become a Sweden international and has moved to England to try further his career with Championship side Derby County.

The 6ft 6in goalkeeper says the head injuries that put his career at jeopardy have shaped the sort of player and person he has become.

For months he said he dealt with dizzy spells, headaches and fatigue that forced him to “basically quit” football because even the most mundane of everyday tasks were made difficult.

“I was not be able to go to the grocery store, not able to go out and hang with friends without being tired after 20 or 30 minutes, and not able to to sit on the bus or basically do anything,” he said.

“I’m not going to sit here and say I was happy that it happened because I’m not, I lost one-and-a-half years of football and maybe one year of a truly normal life, but it has happened and I learned very much from it.

“It gave me a sense of how much football means to me, it gave me a way of truly enjoying where you are and not thinking about the next game, next month or next year because all that can change in a minute.”

Zetterstrom says he now fulfilling a long-time ambition to play in England.

And after a completing his switch to Derby, a summer move that was complicated by Djurgarden’s involvement in the qualifying round of the Europa Conference League, he has kept four clean sheets across nine matches in all competitions.

“Obviously it was a big change to come to a new country and new club, but from day one it has been absolutely amazing,” he said.