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When Julia Grosso scored the winning penalty in the Tokyo 2020 gold medal match, her life changed forever.

The midfielder’s spot-kick clinched Canada’s first global title and will go down as one of the greatest moments in the nation’s soccer history. A jubilant Grosso, then just 20 years old, was mobbed by her team-mates after her decisive shootout strike, but revealed she took a while to process the magnitude of what she had done.

“In the moment, I was obviously so happy,” she told FIFA. “But I don’t think I really understood just how big it was. It hit me when I got home, seeing how many people were watching and invested in us. Then it was like, ‘Oh wow, this was the Olympics and we won gold!’ For me, the biggest thing I noticed was how it’s helped inspire the younger generation. When I was younger, I looked up to a lot of players. That’s what kept me motivated and wanting to be the best I could be. Hopefully, I can inspire at least one young player.”

Grosso is in the Canada squad which will defend their title at the Paris 2024 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. The Canadians have been drawn in a Group A with hosts France, OFC champions New Zealand, and Colombia, who were among the standout teams at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“We’re going to the Olympics believing we can win,” Grosso added. “On the field we have so much talent, but it’s more than that – it’s about our connection and chemistry. That’s what got us gold at the last Olympics, for sure. We have such a good culture and, anyone that comes our way, we’ll be ready. I know this team and we love a good challenge.”

Taking on the host nation is a challenge Grosso is particularly savouring. Canada will lock horns with France at St Etienne’s Stade Geoffroy-Guichard – a stadium renowned for its electric atmosphere.

“Personally, I really enjoy being in environments like that,” she said. “It’s actually more fun for me, I’m not sure why! Even if the fans are against us, we can use it as fuel.”

Canada have bounced back impressively from a disappointing Women’s World Cup campaign, when they exited at the group stage. Just weeks after returning from Australia & New Zealand 2023, they overcame Jamaica in an Olympic qualifying play-off, before recording impressive wins over the likes of Australia, Brazil and Mexico. Two tightly contested battles with USA, meanwhile, saw them edged out on penalties.

“After the World Cup, we knew we had to go back to what we’ve always done and show our grit and determination,” said Grosso. “Everyone knows Canada will always bring a fight. That’s what you’ll see at the Olympics.”

Grosso will head to Paris 2024 having recently left Juventus to join NWSL outfit Chicago Red Stars. The 23-year-old – whose father is Portuguese and mother is of Italian descent – spent three seasons with Juve and won the league championship and two Coppa Italias. She was named the 2022/23 Serie A Midfielder of the Season and credits regularly competing against “extremely technical players” for significantly advancing her game.

During her time in Turin, Grosso had the chance to meet an Italian namesake who also came up clutch in a high-stakes penalty shootout. Fabio Grosso scored the winning spot-kick in Italy’s 2006 FIFA World Cup final victory over France – and the pair were brought together for a photo opportunity at Juventus Women’s training complex.

“To this day, I’ve made a lot of people in Italy think Fabio’s my uncle!” said Grosso. “I’ve told so many people that! I can actually remember watching that World Cup final, even though I was only six years old. A lot of our family are Italian, so it was a big thing for us. When we met, Fabio came up to me and said, ‘Hey little sis!’ and we had our photo taken together. He was really cool.”

Read on for more of our interview with Julia Grosso, who discusses Christine Sinclair’s inspirational impact on her career, her football idols, and the other Olympic events she would like to try…

You had just turned 20 when you won gold at Tokyo 2020. How different is the Julia that will go to Paris 2024 to the one from back then?

Julia Grosso: I think she just grew up a little bit more! I was still in college then and now I have had some years playing professionally. I’ve gained a lot of experience. I was very blessed to learn from people like Christine Sinclair, Sophie Schmidt and Steph Labbe – they’ve all now retired from international football, but just to be around them gave me so much. Playing professionally in Italy with amazing players has definitely helped me too. The football was a lot faster than in college and that’s helped me improve.

You mentioned Christine Sinclair. How big an influence was she on you?

I’ve never seen anyone like her. On the pitch she was phenomenal, and off it she was so humble. I remember when I first came into the squad, she was so helpful to me, just carrying conversation and making me feel really welcome. She had such a positive impact. I’ll always remember giving her a big hug after we won the gold medal. I know she had already won two bronzes, and obviously that’s really cool, but just to finally get that gold for her… I’m really grateful to have been a part of that.

Just getting back to that gold medal match against Sweden. Do you remember what was going through your head when you stepped up to take the penalty?

I was the sixth shooter, and the shootouts don’t usually go that far. So, I wasn’t really thinking it would get to that stage. Then suddenly I was like, ‘Okay it’s me now!’ By that time, I just didn’t really think about it. It all just happened to be honest!

You’ve spoken about idolising Cristiano Ronaldo. Which other players do you admire?

In the women’s game, I looked up to Christine Sinclair and Marta. I also really enjoy watching Vivianne Miedema from the Netherlands – she’s a great player. And then from the men’s side, Jude Bellingham is right up there. He’s doing so well, especially as he’s so young. And I really like Mbappe too!

Returning to the Olympics, if you could pick one other event to try, what would you pick?

I wouldn’t be good at this, but I think the speed walking is really cool. At the last Olympics, I asked one of the athletes to show me the technique. It didn’t come easily to me! I also played volleyball when I was younger, so maybe I would try that too.

And finally, what gives you confidence Canada can compete for gold again at Paris 2024?

The environment we have. Every time I’m with the national team, I feel it’s my home away from home. We have a bunch of different personalities, but we all mesh very well. You’re just free to be yourself and no one’s judging you. It’s so important to just have each other’s backs and have belief in each other. With this team, you just know the person beside you will support you no matter what. I love being part of this group.