Inside Futbol
·19 September 2025
They More Or Less Said – Derby County Star Reveals Reason For Noticeable Change

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Yahoo sportsInside Futbol
·19 September 2025
David Rogers/Getty Images
Derby County goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom has revealed that the club’s medical team advised him that the skullcap he used to wear has no scientific backing for protection and that is why he stopped wearing it from this season.
The Swede joined the Rams last season from Djurgardens, signing a three-year deal with the Championship club.
He has been Derby’s clear first-choice goalkeeper since joining and he has kept ten clean sheets in close to 50 games for the club; he was looked at by Brentford in the summer.
The 27-year-old, though, used to wear a skullcap like legendary goalkeeper Petr Cech, due to a head injury that he sustained five years ago.
However, from the current campaign, he is not wearing the cap anymore, and he explained the reason behind that.
Zetterstrom revealed that Derby’s medical team told him that the cap gives him a false sense of security, which could be more harmful for him.
The one-time capped Sweden goalkeeper has stressed that everything feels weird at the start, but he eventually got used to it.
“Well, I had a discussion with the medical staff after the season, or rather, after I got injured”, the Derby custodian told his club’s media (4:44) when he was asked about him wearing the skullcap this season.
“And they more or less said that there is no real scientific evidence that the hat actually helps.
“Maybe, it might even put me at more risk because it gives this false reassurance of being safe.
“So, that is when I decided to maybe try without it.
“I thought it would be more different in the beginning than it actually was.
“But coming back after more or less two months off, everything feels a bit weird.
“I mean, the boots feel awkward on your shoes and getting used to facing shots and all that.
“So, the hat was just another thing to get used to.”
The Swede, though, could have had a completely different career path, as he could have chosen to study medicine, but pivotal career advice led him to choose football instead.