Lia Walti signed for Brighton from Juventus this summer
Brighton midfielder Lia Walti said she "missed the feeling of being valued as a footballer" at Juventus and craved a return to the Women's Super League.
The Switzerland captain helped former club Arsenal win four major trophies during a seven-year spell there, including the Champions League and WSL titles.
She moved to Italy last summer in search of a new challenge but quickly realised the differences in professionalism were "extreme".
After one season, Walti returned to England, joining ambitious WSL club Brighton last month for an undisclosed fee.
"It's such a huge difference. It's always hard to speak about it. I don't want to speak too negatively about the Italian league, that is not my aim," Walti told BBC Sport.
"It's more that it's just the reality that football in England, in the WSL, has a standard which is not comparable with any other league.
"It's a bit sad and disappointing to see a lot of girls abroad do not have the same opportunities or standards in terms of being in professional environments."
Walti said she realised the WSL's standards "are not the norm" and she missed playing in front of an established football culture.
"I missed the feeling of being valued as a footballer, feeling like we're getting the full support we needed," added Walti.
"We have good structures, good fields where we can play our games. We had absolutely no fan culture – not just at Juve – in general in Italy.
"When you have been part of that growth in England, with the fan cultures, the full stadiums – even stadiums that are really small, they are exciting to play in.
"In Italy, it was just [empty]. Every game felt a bit like that. I missed the feeling I had before when I was playing football."
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