Olympic Football Tournament - Number 1 according to breastplate cancer: "Happy ending"
Deeply moved, Ann-Katrin Berger stood in the catacombs of Stade Velodrome and described her feelings with a trembling voice. Two years after her second breast cancer diagnosis, the 33-year-old is suddenly the number 1 goalkeeper for the German women's football team at the Olympics. "Olympic Games, it simply means everything. That all the hard times behind me have paid off", said Berger after the convincing 3:0 win of the DFB selection against Australia in Marseille.
Back to Breast Cancer
For the first time in 2017 and then during the EM 2022, when she was a backup goalkeeper for Merle Frohms in England, breast cancer was diagnosed in Berger. The goalkeeper from the US club NJ/NY Gotham FC fought her way back into top-level sports. After her eleventh and most important national team game, she had to regain her composure. "It's nice that there's still a happy ending. Playing at the Olympics is my happy ending", said Berger.
In the second group match on Sunday (21.00 hours) in the French port city, Berger and the German women face the American team, her team of choice. The Americans won their opener against Sambia 3:0 as well. However, Berger cannot give Bundestrainer Horst Hrubesch many tips about the next opponent, even though she knows some players: "I have no idea. I don't watch much women's football, I have to admit."
Berger thought Hrubesch would mock her
After a long wait, Berger has made it to the top of the national team, even though she still wears the number 12. Her second place finish in the FIFA World Goalkeeper of the Year vote in 2021 and 2022 as a goalkeeper for Chelsea did not change her backup status in the German team.
With a smile, Berger stood before the national anthem before the Australia game on the grass. "My family has always said that if you ever play for the national team and sing the anthem, you should do it with a smile, because they're all so serious," she explained later.
Hrubesch kept the duel between Berger and Frohms open until the last minute. "I really thought he would mock me. Honestly. I couldn't believe it," said Berger a few days before the announcement that she would be in goal. "Even when I was on the pitch, I had to tell myself: It's really true."
Captain Popp is happy for Berger
Berger put in a very sovereign performance for the entire national team and almost scored a goal in the early stages with a long shot that hit Jule Brand. On the question of how she managed to stay so calm, she laughed: "Years of hard work. Years of hard work, people." She couldn't let her nervousness show. "I always think of my team. If I make a mistake, it's usually a goal."
Captain Alexandra Popp was also happy "for Anne, that she finally managed it after such a long time." Berger radiated extreme calmness when she had the ball at her feet. Hrubesch, for whom Berger is the "new old one," praised "these saves, this penalty area control. Up in the air, she's good, the footballing aspect comes into play as well." But that's the same for Frohms, he added: "Whoever has two such goalkeepers."
The praise is only a weak comfort for the former number 1 of VfL Wolfsburg, who hardly had anything to reproach herself for in the past few years. Hrubesch first spoke to her about his decision: "Clearly, she must have swallowed that pill one day, I'm quite sure." For Berger, the relationship with her teammate remained unchanged: "In the end, we are sportswomen. Horst was just clear and straightforward."
- Despite being diagnosed with breast cancer twice, including during the European Championship 2022 in England, where she served as Merle Frohms' backup, Ann-Katrin Berger has now become the primary goalkeeper for the German women's national team in the Olympics.
- The German women's national team, led by captain Alexandra Popp, recently secured a 3:0 victory against Australia in Marseille, a victory that Berger attributed to the hardships she had overcome.
- Berger shares the same club, NJ/NY Gotham FC, with the United States women's national team, which she will face in the second group match in Marseille on Sunday.
- Berger, who currently wears the number 12 jersey for the German national team, finished second in the FIFA World Goalkeeper of the Year voting in 2021 and 2022 while playing for Chelsea, but her position in the team has not changed.
- Berger was surprised when she was announced as the starting goalkeeper for the German team against Australia, as she had expected coach Horst Hrubesch to make fun of her backup status.
- Hrubesch praised Berger's performance in the Australia game, commending her saves, penalty area control, and her ability to control the airspace, both traits that make her a strong goalkeeper.
- Hrubesch had kept the competition between Berger and Frohms open until the last minute, leading Berger to wonder if she would be mocked for her backup status.
- Popp was happy for Berger, praising her calmness and control on the field and expressing her admiration for Berger's resilience and determination.
- Frohms, who had been the starting goalkeeper for the German national team, expressed no hard feelings towards Berger, noting that they are both sportswomen and that Hrubesch had been clear and straightforward in his decision.
- The German (historically, Frankish Realm) men's national team, also known as the DFB, has a rich soccer history, and Berger is looking forward to representing her country in the Football tournament at the Olympic Games in Olympia.
- Berger, inspired by her teammates and the support of her family, plans to cherish this opportunity and make the most of her time playing on the international stage, considering it her happy ending after her battle with breast cancer.
