Yet when you look at her record, she has already achieved so much in a short time. Turning professional at the age of 15 with former club Twente, Kaptein went on to make her senior debut for the Netherlands in April 2023 at just 17 years old, and two months later, became the youngest-ever Dutch World Cup debutant.

Since then, she has become a first-team regular under Andries Jonker, earning 24 caps and scoring twice for the senior team. Kaptein started in all three of the Netherlands’ matches at Women’s Euro 2025, but – drawn in a group with England and France – the side failed to make the knockout stages of the competition.

‘It got away from what we know it could’ve been,’ says Kaptein, with a tinge of disappointment lingering in her voice. ‘Of course, we had a difficult group, but we have a good team, and it didn't turn out the way we knew it could. That was hard.

‘I just played my own game, the way I usually do. I think that went well, but it was disappointing to go out, and I think we could’ve done more.’

Kaptein wanted something extra from her side. But that’s only natural when you consider her success at club level, having sewn up a domestic Treble in the weeks leading up to the major international tournament.

If anything, the summer’s disappointment has fuelled the youngster to even greater ambition at club level, and there’s no way she’s letting her age hold her back.

‘I'm young, I'm 19, but I’ve already experienced a lot,’ she says. ‘I’m going to try to help the team more this year and try to develop myself more too. I'm excited to start the new season, to learn new things, and hopefully win a lot of trophies.

‘When I went from Twente to Chelsea, it helped that I had already experienced the national team, because I’d played at a high level already, and Chelsea play at a high level too, so I think that was the most important thing when I joined.’

The conversation then turns to Chelsea’s first game of the season at Stamford Bridge, where we will face domestic rivals Manchester City.

It was against that same opponent when we pulled off an incredible 3-0 comeback win in the Women's Champions League quarter-final last season, having been 2-0 down from the first leg. Kaptein was picked to start in that second leg and remained on the pitch for the entire match.

It’s no wonder she’s looking forward to meeting them again at our home.

• Secure your place at our WSL opener against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on 5 September now!

‘It's always an honour to play at Stamford Bridge,’ she continues. ‘We have a lot of good fans, and it’s always great to hear them because they are loud. I want to score more goals there this year.

‘To be honest, I just want to help the team, but scoring more goals and creating more assists is part of that.

‘My main hope is that we can win the Champions League this year. I think we have the group for it, but it just needs to come out. I think we have even more than we had last year; we have an excellent group.

'If we play our own game, we have a good chance. Of course, we want to win the other trophies too. It's going to be a hard one again this year, but we have a good team, and I think we can go for it.’

See Chelsea in action at Stamford Bridge against Manchester City in the first Women's Super League game of the season on 5 September at 7.30pm! Secure your tickets for that fixture here.