Without a shadow of a doubt, Caroline Graham Hansen is one of the world’s leading figures in women’s football.

A multiple champion with FC Barcelona and a recent nominee for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, the Norwegian forward dominates the flanks like few other footballers on the planet.

However, behind the unstoppable player who shines at the very top of the game lies a woman who had to learn to listen to her own body when her career and health were at serious risk.

The source of the fatigue: the heart diagnosis

For months, Graham Hansen lived with profound and inexplicable physical exhaustion. She would finish training sessions drained of energy, unable to do anything but lie in bed for the rest of the day.

She thought her body couldn’t cope with the pace of elite football or that she was ageing prematurely. She couldn’t find any answers.

In November 2021, following a match against Real Sociedad, medical tests revealed the true reason behind her suffering.

Graham Hansen was suffering from a life-threatening heart condition that explained her physical collapse.

Discovering that arrhythmia was a terrifying blow, but at the same time it made sense of the daily hell she had been going through.

“It was a relief to know the reason why I’d been feeling that way… I’d reached a point where I was saying: I can’t play like this, it’s impossible. I didn’t really have a life anymore. Every morning I could barely get out of bed and I’d spend the rest of the day lying on the sofa,” she explained.

In the same vein, she elaborated on the ‘Their Pitch’ podcast: “It was a relief for me to have a solution to the problem. It sounds very frightening, but I had good people around me reassuring me that I’d be fine.”

After undergoing surgery to correct the condition, medical and family support were crucial in helping her face her recovery and return to the pitch safely.

“My heart was broken. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. Thanks to the doctors and my family’s support, my heart is working properly again and I can carry on playing football,” she said upon being discharged from hospital.

The courage to prioritise mental health

Although the operation resolved the heart problem, the demands of top-level football and the accumulated strain during Euro 2022 pushed her to her emotional limits.

In August of that same year, realising that her body and mind needed a proper break to avoid another breakdown, Graham Hansen took a drastic decision: to step away temporarily from the Norwegian national team.

Despite social and media pressure to wear her country’s shirt, the footballer realised that to be at her best she first had to heal from within:

“For me, it was sadly easy. I was so tired and so frustrated that I couldn’t recover the way I wanted to. It was time to focus on myself for once and take care of what I needed to look after. I felt it was time for me to breathe.”

That voluntary six-month break served to highlight the importance of mental health in professional sport. Hansen summed it up with a firm stance:

“It might sound selfish, but I’m not a selfish person. I believe that if I’m not able to give my best to myself, I’m not able to give it to others either. I just had to choose myself for once.”

The return to her best self

Having had the courage to listen to her heart and put her career on hold at the right time marked the start of her return to her best form.

In 2023, having regained her top form at FC Barcelona, she decided to return to the Norwegian national team with a renewed vigour.

Pain-free, with a healthy heart and a peaceful mind, she began to set historic records, topping the assists and goals tables across the continent.

At this point, Graham proved that, to reach the very top in world football, you also have to listen to yourself and know when to stop in time.