When Rebecca Knaak’s stoppage-time winner crashed into Liverpool’s net on Sunday, putting Manchester City on the brink of the Women’s Super League title, manager Andree Jeglertz could no longer keep his emotions in check. Captain Alex Greenwood leaped into his arms, and the usually calm Swedish boss let his excitement and relief show.
It was an early celebration of their first WSL crown in a decade, which was confirmed three days later when Arsenal failed to beat Brighton. As the team watched the match at the Joie Stadium, Jeglertz called Greenwood over, smiled, and said softly: “We did it.” The understated moment was typical of a man who, since his youth as a football fan supporting Swedish side Malmo, has never let success go to his head.
Growing up in Malmo, a city in southern Sweden, Jeglertz played street football with friends and lived next door to an Englishman who encouraged him to watch the Premier League on TV. Like most local children, he joined a football club at age five, and in that “safe environment” developed an obsession with sport—unlike his younger brother.
“He wasn’t competitive—he played football but didn’t have the same passion I did,” Jeglertz says. “I always wanted to train hard and have always been very determined. I thought: ‘I want to reach this level.’ I wanted training to be structured, not random—I’ve never been good at that. It has to have some order. It’s still like that.”
The 54-year-old watched his hometown club Malmo with his father, including the 1979 European Cup final in Munich when they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest. “My dad is a big football fan. He played when he was younger, so we went to many games,” Jeglertz says. “I remember watching matches at the stadium every weekend. It’s always been part of my life.”
After turning professional with Malmo, Jeglertz realized he wouldn’t reach the top despite earning three caps for Sweden Under-21s. He then studied to become a teacher, following his mother’s footsteps and driven by “curiosity to get to know people.” He says: “When I realized I wasn’t going to be as good as I’d hoped, that was tough—but I really loved the sport. I educated myself as a teacher. I loved the relationships between people and wanted to combine that with football. Coaching was natural; I was always a captain or leader.”
Outside football, Jeglertz is a devoted father. He married former footballer Ulrika, and they have two children: daughter Cornelia and son Adam. When Cornelia was a baby, the family moved to Umea in eastern Sweden, a small neighborhood two miles outside the city. There, Jeglertz took his first major managerial role, winning the Champions League in 2004 with a squad including Brazil legend Marta.
His work took the family to Stockholm five years later when he took over at Djurgardens, then became Finland’s head coach and later Denmark’s. Daughter Cornelia says: “He’s still only my dad—not the famous coach others see. To me, he’s very caring and present, even though we’ve lived in different countries. He’s interested in me and my friends. It’s a privilege to have followed him.”
