Award
DFB captain Popp is footballer of the year
DFB captain Alexandra Popp is footballer of the year. photo
© Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa
Alexandra Popp is Germany’s Footballer of the Year for the third time after 2014 and 2016. The disappointment about the early World Cup is still big with her.
The 32-year-old from VfL Wolfsburg won the journalists’ vote organized by “Kicker” with a clear lead. She is receiving the award for the third time after 2014 and 2016. “It is a recognition of my achievements over the past twelve months. That makes me very proud,” said Popp.
Popp is considered the face of her sport
Not only were their two strong tournament performances at the EM 2022 in England and at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand recognized: There the German national team around Popp experienced a debacle with the end in the preliminary round. The attacker had scored four goals by then and was one of the very few in the selection of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.
“It’s a big disappointment for all of us and for football Germany. Our quality hasn’t changed compared to last year. But it wasn’t the performance we had imagined in all three group games, including against Morocco,” said Popp the “Kicker” looking back on the tournament. The 32-year-old received 257 votes in the vote, putting her ahead of her Wolfsburg teammate Lena Oberdorf (39) and last year’s winner Lea Schüller from Bayern Munich (9).
Popp had already been named Personality of the Year 2022 by “Kicker” – the first woman ever. The attacker has been the face of her sport since the European Championships in England – and a combative spirit. Popp regularly campaigns for women’s football in public, mostly bluntly, as is her way. Your Wolfsburg club and the DFB could hardly save themselves from media inquiries about their star in the past twelve months.
Bundesliga top scorer with 16 goals
“Something has changed extremely in her life since last summer,” Popp once said. “Of course, there was a lot of brutal appointments that came up.” Her autobiography was published earlier this month. The title: “Then I’ll show you on the pitch.” That’s how Popp keeps it despite the many demands in view of her increased popularity: She goes ahead on the lawn and digs in.
Popp was in the final of the Champions League with Wolfsburg last season (2:3 against FC Barcelona). In the Bundesliga, VfL had to cede the title to FC Bayern Munich – but Popp was top scorer for the first time with 16 goals. She didn’t always play as a striker, but more often in midfield.
National player Ilkay Gündogan from FC Barcelona won the men’s team at the beginning of August, and the women’s choice was made because of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. At the EM 2022, Popp was the outstanding figure in the German team and scored a total of six goals. In the lost final against hosts England, she was injured.