Retiring Alexandra Popp signs off as Germany’s first female football superstar
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Alexandra Popp of Germany greets supporters after the friendly match against Australia.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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DUISBURG – Retiring Germany striker Alexandra Popp signed off with tears in her eyes in Duisburg on Oct 28, saying goodbye as the country’s first true women’s football superstar.
Germany’s 2-1 loss to Australia in the friendly was only of secondary importance, as 26,263 fans packed the MSV-Arena to bid her an emotional farewell from international football.
The crowd rose to their feet after 15 minutes as she was substituted before handing the captain’s armband to Giulia Gwinn, the player most likely to take over as the face of the women’s game in Germany.
Popp told reporters she had “an incredible amount of fun” during her career, and that “I came into the national team as a little girl... suddenly you’re a leader”.
She added: “I struggled (against tears) during the anthem, and after that I shed one or two tears... When the tears come, they come.
“It was a lot today, but I’m very thankful that I could experience it all again.”
New Germany manager Christian Wuck, leading the side out for the first time on home soil, emphasised the importance of the Matildas fixture with Euro 2025 in Switzerland just eight months away.
But he also had high praise for Popp.
“She is an absolute leader. Young girls started playing football because of her. That’s a big achievement,” Wuck told Germany’s ZDF network.
In her 145th international game, the 33-year-old Germany captain was unable to add to her tally of 67 goals.
The Wolfsburg striker was on the pitch as Selina Cerci headed in the opener five minutes in to put Germany in front, but had already said her goodbyes when Australia’s Kyra Cooney-Cross equalised with a long-range stunner from 40 metres out just before half-time.
Clare Hunt scored with 13 minutes remaining to put Australia on track for victory.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference on Oct 27, Popp recognised the “romance” of the occasion, saying “there’s nothing more beautiful than finishing where it all began”.
She played her first professional match on the same pitch in 2008 with MSV Duisburg, the team she won the Champions League with. Her Germany debut came at the same venue in February 2010.
After 14 years, two more Champions League crowns, seven Bundesliga titles and a total of 12 German Cups, Popp became the first female player to enjoy fame on a level approaching the men in football-mad Germany.
An Olympic gold medallist in 2016, her reign coincided with the growth of the women’s game worldwide.
Popp was, however, unable to add to Germany’s two World Cups or eight European Championship titles. AFP
