*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 July 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:29, 16 July 2024 (UTC)
Lena Sophie Oberdorf (born 19 December 2001) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team.[2] A versatile player who can play in various positions ranging from centre-back, left-back, defensive midfielder, and central midfielder, Oberdorf is considered one of the most promising young talents in women's football.[3][4]
Early life
Oberdorf played on, and captained, boys' football teams in her youth. Oberdorf started football at TuS Ennepetal. As a D youth, she switched to TSG Sprockhövel, where she was on boys' teams until 2018.[5] She was the only girl in the German youth league she played in, as the captain of TSG Sprockhövel.[6]
Club career
SGS Essen
In November 2017, she signed a three-year contract with Bundesliga club SGS Essen, which is valid from the summer of 2018.[7] She made her SGS debut on 9 September 2018 in the second round of the DFB Cup against SV Henstedt-Ulzburg, where she immediately scored two goals in a 14–0 win. Almost a week later, on 15 September 2018 (matchday 1), followed in the away game against MSV Duisburg in the Bundesliga. In this game, too, she contributed two goals to the 4–0 victory.
VfL Wolfsburg
For the 2020–21 season she moved to VfL Wolfsburg. She signed a three-year contract, the term which was extended in the summer of 2022 to 2025.[8][9]
Bayern Munich
On 15 February 2024, Bayern Munich announced the signing of Oberdorf, starting from summer that year until 2028.[10]
International career
Youth
Oberdorf made her national team debut on 28 October 2014 at the age of twelve. She came on for Verena Wieder in the 41st minute of the U-15 national team's 13–0 win against Scotland. Two days later, she scored her first goal in an 8–0 win over Scotland in another friendly.
In July 2016, she took part in the Nordic Cup with the U-16 national team and finished second behind Norway with the team.
Also in 2016, Oberdorf was the youngest player in the 21-player squad of the U17 national team for the World Cup in Jordan. She featured in two group games against Venezuela and Cameroon and against Spain in the quarter-finals, scoring against Cameroon to make it 2–0 and against Spain to make it 2–1. In 2017 she qualified with the team for the European Championship in the Czech Republic and won it after beating Spain 3–1 in the final on penalties. After the tournament, she was voted "Golden Player" by UEFA.
For the U19 national team, she played six games from September 2017 to April 2018 as part of qualifying for the 2018 European Championship, but was already part of the squad in the summer of 2018 for the U20 national team and took part with this – again as the youngest German player – at the World Cup in France.
Senior
In December 2018, national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg called her up to the squad for the senior national team for the winter training camp from 14 to 21 January 2019 in Marbella.[11] She made her debut on 6 April 2019 in Solna in a 2–1 win in a friendly against Sweden, replacing Turid Knaak in the 61st minute. At 17 years and 109 days she is the eighth youngest player to make her debut for the national team. She established herself as a starter for the national team.[12]
Voss-Tecklenburg called her back to the German team for the 2019 World Cup. When she came on as a substitute in the first round match against China, she became the youngest German World Cup player at age 17 years, five months, and 20 days – a record that Birgit Prinz had previously held.
She scored her first international goal on 3 September 2019 in Lviv in the 8–0 victory in the second European Championship qualifier in group I over Ukraine with the goal to make it 4–0 in the 54th minute.[13]
She played for Germany in the Euro 2022, including the final on 31 July. Oberdorf played in five of six games – she could not play in the other game because of the second yellow card. After the tournament, Oberdorf was recognised as the best young player and voted into the "Eleven of the Tournament" by the UEFA coaching staff.
Oberdorf's brother Tim Oberdorf, who is five years older, is also a footballer.[15] Her sister Julia Oberdorf, three years older, plays American football.
