Lena Oberdorf is a "great machine". That's what Lina Magull says about her teammate in the DFB team. In the European Championship quarter-final victory against Austria, you can hardly get past her, which earns her extra praise from the national coach. Although she doesn't like FC Bayern, she would like to meet Joshua Kimmich.
Lena Oberdorf was once caught by surprise that Thursday night at Brentford Community Stadium. Once she was caught off guard by an action, lost her balance and fell. However, it was after the final whistle and the "culprit" was Lea Schüller, who ran towards her teammate and spontaneously jumped into her arms. Oberdorf fell over from behind, Schüller on top of her. A detail of the jubilation after the European Championship quarterfinal match against Austria, which Germany won 2-0.
Also thanks to Lena Oberdorf. She doesn't usually do that, said Martina Voss-Tecklenburg after the game, before she started a hymn of praise: "I think everyone saw what Lena Oberdorf played in these young years today - with a maturity and an intensity and a desire , conquering balls (...) and transferring that to your teammates. That was great!" enthused the national coach. At the age of 20, the woman from Wolfsburg had shown a "mature performance" that proved "that she has a great future ahead of her".
Oberdorf herself was also satisfied: "For me it was the best game I could have gotten," she said of her 30th appearance in the DFB shirt. "A lot of fights for the balls in midfield, a lot of ball wins, where I was able to move forward, I also had a degree with me." As always, she never shied away from a duel, always pulled through consistently, straddled when necessary, kept the Austrians in check in front of the defense as a six and opened the offensive game with strong ball gains. Oberdorf, which has been dubbed the "talent of the century" for years, has long been an integral part of the national team. "'Obi' defended everything defensively, but then had the calm up front," said the scorer of the 1-0, Lina Magull, about you. "It's nice to see how she's developing. A huge talent, no longer a talent at all, but a seasoned player, she makes it really really strong."
When she came on as a substitute in the first game against China at the World Cup in France in 2019, she replaced record national player Birgit Prinz as the youngest German player when she was just 17 years old. She met her current DFB and Wolfsburg colleague Alexandra Popp much earlier. At a game of FC Silschede, for which Popp was playing at the time, Oberdorf stood on the sidelines and really only wanted to watch her sister. "I couldn't believe it. At some point I went up to her and asked if she was really Alex Popp," Oberdorf told Elfen magazine before the European Championships. "But I didn't buy it until she pulled out her driver's license and shoved it in my face."
Oberdorf grew up in football herself, played in the U15 national team at the age of twelve and played in youth teams until she was 16. In her first game for the national team, she faced Popp again - and, to Oberdorf's chagrin, showed a good memory: "Well, do you remember back then?" She said and put a hand on the new girl's shoulder.
The embarrassment has long been overcome, since 2020 the two have been playing together not only at the DFB, but also at VfL Wolfsburg. With his high school diploma in hand, Oberdorf switched from SGS Essen to the top club. And she will probably stay there for a while, one day before the start of the European Championship, VfL announced her contract extension until 2025. The sporting director Ralf Kellermann should consider himself lucky to have arranged that before the European Championships, with her performances in the tournament she draws attention to herself. There weren't any big offers for her, said Oberdorf when asked about "immoral offers," but she hadn't really thought about it either. "The family relationship you have in Wolfsburg gives you an incredible amount," she explained her decision.
Magull would also rather play with her than against the "great machine", as Oberdorf calls it. "Of course I'm happy to be playing with her here. I'd like to have her on my team at the club, but that's the way it is." It would probably be Magull who would have to switch clubs - back to her former club - as Oberdorf has an open dislike for Bayern, for whom Magull has played since 2018. As a Schalke fan, you just don't have it that way with Bayern, she once explained. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old would like to get to know at least one professional from the men's squad: "I think I'd like to exchange ideas with Kimmich, because he also embodies a bit: these emotions in the game, never giving up, in every duel again goes in, makes every run again," explained Oberdorf. "I think our game ideas fit together quite well."
She realized early on that defending is her thing: "I used to watch Sergio Ramos on YouTube with my brother (Tim Oberdorf, defender of Fortuna Düsseldorf, editor's note) and how he always celebrated , when he unpacked a tackle. I think that came from that." When asked whether you sometimes have to be "angry" in football, she answered succinctly: "Yes."
In terms of football, she switched from the long-time Real Madrid defender to FC Barcelona. Sergio Busquets is a six that she uses as a guide. She likes to watch him, "because he always moves extremely well in the rooms and always knows where he wants to go and I want to continue working on it, so that I know before the ball comes what I want to do, that's me extremely well done today," she said with satisfaction. The ball was no longer there when Oberdorf let itself be taken by surprise.
