"Then we felt that we were role models"

Since the common time in damall Swedish Linköping, the Swedish national team back Magdalena Eriksson, 25, and Danish world star Pernille Harder, 26, have been open with being a couple.

Thus it was perfectly natural for them to embrace each other and give each other a kiss after Sweden beat Canada in the eighth finals of the World Cup. Photos were taken when Eriksson went to the stand to meet Harder who was in the Swedish national jersey at the Stade de France to support his girlfriend.

- We were not even aware that anyone had taken a picture of us, says Eriksson when the couple is interviewed by the British newspaper The Guardian.

She admits that she could never have imagined what signal value the pictures would get. It didn't take long for the two players on their social media to notice that they caused a great stir.

- It was crazy. The image was twittered around the world. Argentina, Brazil ... We've always just been natural and didn't think much of being an inspiration to others together, says Pernille Harder.

- But when we saw the photo and the comments around it, we really felt: "We are role models". We received messages from lots of young people, people of our own age and even the elderly.

Eriksson says he has come to realize how much those couples can help others who want to come out as openly gay.

- I think that was when I understood the great need for role models, given how much impact it had and how many people wrote to me on Instagram. They said how much they looked up to us and how much we have helped them. Then I realized that we are very strong together. In the past, we had not looked at ourselves that way.

Now she hopes that something similar can happen in men's football where significantly fewer players are openly gay.

- If you look at the photo from the World Cup and how much support we received - imagine what it would be like if it were male players. It would be massive. But it feels like we have to break the norm before it happens, unfortunately. Men's football has taken a different path and it is very difficult for players to come out. Hopefully, the norm has changed until the youth of today have grown up.