Aston Villa's Alisha Lehmann tells mum not to read comments from online trolls

Aston Villa's Alisha Lehmann has revealed she's told her mum not to read the comments she receives on Instagram after being subjected to online abuse.

Lehmann, 24, has become the most popular women's footballer on the planet on social media, racking up 13.1million followers on Instagram, which even puts her ahead of tennis icon Roger Federer.

Yet the interactions that she has with fans are not always positive, and the Swiss winger has admitted she's made a conscious decision to shield her family from misogynistic comments sent by online trolls.

'There are always people who don't support women's football as they think it is a men's sport. A lot of times people say: "women can't play football, they should be in the kitchen",' Lehmann told Sky Sports.

'But those people haven't watched a single football game. That's the problem, because when they come to the games and watch us, they go: "You actually can play".

'You know what I think actually? It's obviously not a nice thing to say because we train so hard every single day, but it gives me more strength.

'They are just bored in life and have to say something. And it's always easy to say stuff behind a computer, I don't think people would stand in front of our female footballers and say: "You can't play".'

'I don't really care (about the comments), to be honest. I just don't read or look. I just flip it off and focus on the good comments.

'It's more for my family, sometimes I feel bad as my mum sends me stuff. I say to her: "Don't read this, I would never read it".'

Lehmann has built her fanbase by posting regularly about her everyday life on social media, including bikini snaps, and the bi-sexual footballer has been involved in multiple high-profile relationships having previously dated Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz and her international team-mate Ramona Bachmann.

She is 'proud' to have so many people following her journey, but insists her football career will always be her priority.

'The people who know me always see the footballer,' she added. 'Every time I'm with my friends and family, I just speak about football.

'It's always been there, it's deep in my heart as it's the thing I've always done. The other stuff just came in time.

'Obviously I have a lot of followers, but I never dreamed to have it. I just played and shared my life. It just became like this.

'I don't think that I'm better than anyone else, I come from humble beginnings with how I grew up with my family in Switzerland.

'I don't see myself as someone with loads of followers on social media, obviously I'm proud of it - alongside my football - but it doesn't change anything.'