She's at the top of her game, but Vilde Bøe Risa says striving for more is a non-negotiable. "It's a personal goal to develop as a player. I would not be happy to stay where I am," she says.

Practically born with a soccer ball at her feet, the Norwegian native spent all her spare time as a child on the field. But as passionate as she was about soccer, she never dreamed she'd end up as a professional player because women's teams didn't exist. When she was a girl, playing professional soccer wasn't a dream you could dream. "You couldn't. It wasn't an option," she says bluntly.

But the women's game evolved, and Bøe Risa now has names like Manchester United and Atlético de Madrid on her resume – two of the biggest clubs in the world. We sat down with her at the launch of adidas's F50 Sparkfusion – the brand's first boot designed for female anatomy – where she explained what it truly means to have investment into women's sport. "If we have the best, we perform better," she said.

Below, the July-born Cancer tells us the advice she'd give to younger aspiring athletes, her thoughts on the changing women's game and why she doesn't need saunas.

What's something about you that you think most people would be surprised by?

Oh, maybe that I like trash TV? Haha. I mean, I like easy telly to watch.

What's your star sign?

I'm a Cancer.

What was the moment that made you realise that you had made it as a professional footballer? And how did that feel?

Oh, I don't know if I ever 'made it' to be honest. I don't know if I feel it yet, but I think when I started to play for Man United, it was such a big club. I think I understood at that point that I'm starting to be quite big within women's football now; and especially playing the big tournaments for Norway has a bigger, massive impact on how I feel.

How do you feel at this point in time that the women's game is changing?

It's definitely changing. I feel every year that it's growing and it's growing even faster. And I think the adidas Sparkfusion boot is a sign of how much both money and focus we put into women's football now. It's very important for the growth and for the girls to grow up today.

I hear a lot of female footballers say that they never dreamed of this, that they never expected this. It seems to be a common theme?

Because when we grew up, it wasn't possible for women to play football.

"When, when I was five or six year old, playing around in the backyard, I didn't know it was possible for me to play for Man United because they didn't have a women's team. You couldn't. It wasn't an option."

There wasn't any money, you couldn't play professional football.  That's why we didn't think that it was going to be an option, because it wasn't at that time.

How is new technology like the Sparkfusion helping the future of women's sport?

I think for us, to get the best boot that you can - for women - would grow the game. Because if we have the best, we perform better. So I think putting investments in and focusing on how grow the women's game is helping the whole women's football to change. I think this boot is a big example of that kind of investment.

What's the best advice that you've ever received?

My dad told me to give it a bit of – we call it the F-word in Norwegian – just give a bit of [the F-word]. And I really took that with me, sometimes it means to not overthink situations.

"It's just football. Just just play the game and do your best, and no one else can expect more than that from you."

What advice would you like to pass on to any young people who are aspiring to become athletes?

I think for me, growing up, the most important thing was to enjoy the game. I've never ever played without enjoying it, because then I wouldn't like to go to training every day. I think to enjoy the moment and enjoy the time with the ball. I've been with the ball around my feet from when I was a year old. I've been walking around, sleeping with the ball, being around the ball, 24/7, and it just connected me with the ball. And that's, I think that's why I am where I am now.

You've already had an incredible career. You've played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, what's a goal you're still striving for?

I always strive for something bigger, something better. I think mostly it's a personal goal to develop as a player. I would not be happy to stay where I am. I feel like I always would like to be better at so many different points. I think it's a personal development. I've always strived to get better.

What are your favourite things to do when you're not playing football?

I would say I'm a TV person maybe? I love the days where I don't have any plans, so I'm just gonna go home and have a rest and recover and make– I like to cook. So, to cook a good dinner and stay at home and watch telly is like my favourite night.

You've battled injury before. What was that experience like? How did you get through it? It's not just physical, right? It's a very mental experience?

Definitely. I think the mental part is what's most difficult about it. Obviously, I wasn't at a big club at that point, so I didn't really have the same club around me that I could have had today.

I think the loneliness, a lot of people talk about, that you feel quite alone because you're not part of the team anymore, even though you are and the girls try to bring you in, but you're just in the gym training alone. I think that's the worst part.

What do you think your younger self would say if she saw you today?

I think she would have been proud. I never expected this to happen, like I've played football and I've enjoyed football, but I never like thought that it was going to be my job, because that wasn't possible growing up.

"I think she would have looked at me and been proud of me and been proud of the game."

And proud of how much has changed that it is possible for me to actually have this job too.

Do you have any wellness rituals? How do you stay Zen?

I do. I journal. Every morning and evening I do journaling, and then I do a little bit of visualisation as well. And then I also do ice baths every morning.

No saunas?

I live in Madrid. I don't need a sauna haha.