Maria Thorisdottir exclusive: Brighton defender on journey from handball and eight years of injury to Seagulls importance

Brighton defender Maria Thorisdottir: «I feel like I haven't been able to express myself fully yet and I really feel like it's coming now»; watch Brighton vs Chelsea on Saturday live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm

Senior football journalist

Friday 26 January 2024 17:47, UK

Maria Thorisdottir's football journey has been far from conventional. «When I look back on my story, it's quite weird really,» the Brighton defender admits in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports.

The diversions and challenges are consistent throughout her career — a two-year break to pursue handball. A total of eight years spent on the sidelines with injuries, some career-threatening. Never quite nailing down a consistent position in her club career.

For the latter, there is a tinge of regret and reflection. «I wish I could have played more in one position and you imagine 'how good could I have been?'. The same sentiment applies to her injury absences.

But despite her unorthodox journey, Thorisdottir has finally found a home at Brighton. She has started in every WSL game so far and played regularly as a centre-back.

The message from the club has been of building a project under Melissa Phillips that will allow the Seagulls to compete in the years to come. „If there is a club that can do it, Brighton is definitely one of them,“ Thorisdottir says.

And she is proving to be a vital part of its beginnings, with experiences only enhancing what is now the best period of her career.

Thorisdottir is the epitome of a versatile player. Despite now playing at centre-back for Brighton and having been signed as such for various WSL teams, she has rarely been used in that position by her clubs — although she has often played in central