Why mum's the word in Zetterstrom's career rise

Jacob Widell Zetterstrom has kept four clean sheets in nine matches for Derby

Derby County goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom says he has his mum to thank for the resurrection of his career after a succession of head injuries robbed him of a normal life for a year.

The Swede suffered two concussions in the space of a few months in 2019 and it was not until 2021 that he returned to the pitch with Stockholm-based club Djurgarden.

The injuries ultimately cost Zetterstrom 18 months of his then-formative career and very nearly claimed his future in the game, as he admits he grappled with concerns for his health when first trying to return to the pitch.

"I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue with football after those two concussions because I was afraid of what could happen if I got another one," he told BBC Radio Derby.

It is for that reason that the 26-year-old wears a scrum cap, but what convinced him to return was the encouragement and understanding of his mother Jelena.

"She was really pushing me to do it, because she knew how much it means to me and knew that I would be, in the end, very sad about not picking up football again," added Zetterstrom.

"All I can say is that she was definitely right."

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.