Olympia-Footballers (female) - Sixteen years after Rio: Special games for Alexandra Popp
When Alexandra Popp is asked about the gold triumph and the Olympic Games in Rio, her eyes shine and she asks with a broad smile: "Where should I start?" Eight years later, the captain of the German women's football team is facing a challenging tournament in France, for herself and Horst Hrubesch's team. The prospects are uncertain for the 33-year-old from VfL Wolfsburg.
"Basically, I trust the team completely," Popp told the German Press Agency before the opening match against Australia on Thursday (7:00 PM/ZDF and Eurosport) in Marseille. At the EURO 2022 in England, when Popp became the pop star of women's football, no one had expected the DFB selection to make it - "and suddenly we were there. We experienced it differently at the World Cup, where everyone had counted on us and we weren't really there."
"My foot is doing well so far"
A year after the debacle at the World Cup in Australia with an early exit under coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, the German women are aiming for a medal. The European runners-up recently won 4:0 against Austria but lost 0:3 in Iceland. Popp missed both friendlies due to a foot injury.
"My foot is doing well so far," said Germany's Footballer of the Year to the press about her physical condition. Training and playing are different things, she explained. "When I'm on the pitch, then I'm giving it my all. It could be that my foot reacts a little stronger at times."
In France, Popp may be seen in a different role. For the injured Lena Oberdorf, she could be used in midfield, as she often was at VfL Wolfsburg. Hrubesch has already spoken to her about this.
Popp's foot must hold up
"In the end, what matters is that we play successful football. If Horst feels like putting me on the six and then letting the other quick players up front, then that's fine," Popp explained, looking at the offensive trio with Lea Schüller, Klara Bühl, and Jule Brand. "It doesn't speak against anything that if I'm playing the six, then I might also be springing towards the box to become goalscoring as well."
At the beginning of the Summer Games, Popp can focus entirely on football, after she lost the flagbearer vote to Judoka Anna-Maria Wagner for the opening ceremony on Friday. Popp took it sportingly and reacted on Instagram with a raised thumb: "I'm incredibly proud and grateful just to have been among the nominees."
Memories of Usain Bolt
The stress of travel to Paris between the match against the Matildas and the record World Cup winners, the United States, on Sunday, is spared in Marseille.
The chance to participate in a second Olympic Games seemed to have "slipped away," Popp said, after the German team missed the Olympics in Tokyo. She wants to go to the Athletes' Village "where you can grasp the Olympic spirit a little further." To achieve this, the German women must finish as group leaders and reach the quarterfinals in Paris or the final in the Prinzenpark.
Back then in Rio, Popp experienced the hype around a sprint superstar: "A Usain Bolt, who looks out of his window and celebrates. In front of his house, a bunch of athletes cheering for him." The 2:1 victory against Sweden in the Maracana, the presentation of the Gold Medal - "those are just special moments. We celebrated for two days."
"... otherwise, any team can hurt us"
In France, the German women's football team reckon with physically strong opponents as early as the group stage, which concludes against Sambia. The team must hold their ground in the group phase, said Popp: "We can do that. I'm convinced of that. But it has to happen from the beginning and throughout the 90 minutes, otherwise any team can give us a hard time."
Since the WM debacle, it's been an issue for the Hrubesch team. "You've seen it in the recent games: We sometimes lack consistency over 90 minutes," Popp admitted. "That will be crucial: If we get everyone on the pitch with everything we have, then we have good chances to make a name for ourselves. If we don't manage that, then it will be brutal hard."
Clearly, Popp will lead the team as a manager and she will. "Alex shows time and again what she brings to the team on the pitch, not only sportingly but also from a body language and mental perspective," said DFB sports director Nia Künzer. "She's one who can make clear statements and often decides games."
- Popp reminisces about the gold triumph in Rio during the 2016 Olympic Games.
- As the captain of the German women's soccer team, Popp faces another challenging tournament in France.
- At the EURO 2022 in England, Popp and her team surprised many by making it to the tournament.
- The German women's team aims for a medal in the upcoming Olympic Games in France, a year after the World Cup in Australia.
- Popp missed both friendly matches prior to the tournament due to a foot injury but is optimistic about her condition.
- Horst Hrubesch, the coach, has discussed using Popp in midfield as a replacement for the injured Lena Oberdorf.
- Popp expressed that she is open to playing in midfield if it helps the team achieve successful football.
- Popp will focus on football during the Olympics after losing the flagbearer vote to Judoka Anna-Maria Wagner.
- The German women's team must finish as group leaders to reach the quarterfinals or final in Paris or the Prinzenpark.
- In Rio, Popp was inspired by the hype surrounding Usain Bolt during the sprint events.
- Popp emphasizes the importance of consistency for the German team to avoid being overpowered by their opponents in France.
