This is where the future of German football speaks: an interview with Lena Oberdorf from VfL Wolfsburg

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New in VfL dress, seen here before the 2019 World Cup: Lena Oberdorf strengthens the German champions and cup winners

SPIEGEL: Ms. Oberdorf, at the age of 18 you switched to the German series championship in Wolfsburg and we read that VfL paid you an "unusually high" transfer fee for women's football. Does that put you under pressure?

Oberdorf: I didn't even know that, nor do I know the height. That's why I don't feel any pressure now.

SPIEGEL: In football, it is usually agreed that the parties will remain silent about the relocation. With the men they often come out after all, but with the soccer players you hardly learn anything about sums. Your transfer could have set an example - according to the motto: female soccer players also cost money!

Oberdorf: But then I would feel pressure now. I'm so glad it wasn't published. I also think it's nice that women aren't just talking about money in women's football. We are human and transfer fees are insignificant. It is clear that transfer fees are not common in women's football, but they are also part of it.

SPIEGEL: The Champions League will continue on Friday and you can play for your new club. At least in theory, the team is pretty well rehearsed. Who do you want to dispute for the regular place?

Oberdorf: I'm not even thinking about something like that. It is common in Wolfsburg that there is a lot of rotation. Four days after the Champions League final on August 30th, the Bundesliga starts again. It's not about taking someone's place. I'm just waiting for my opportunity. It is certainly good that I can play many positions: in central defense or on the six in front of the defense. I could also imagine playing on ten. The main thing is in the center.

SPIEGEL: All in all, that sounds cautious for a footballer who has already played 13 international matches and has a World Cup behind her, and who has already been described as the defender of the German national team.

Oberdorf: These numbers don't interest me at all. And I don't see myself as a defense chief either. A defense consists of four players, I am one of them. It is better if everyone takes responsibility.

SPIEGEL: The final tournament of the Champions League will take place in Bilbao and San Sebastián. The Covid 19 numbers in the region are going up, Germany has designated Spain as a risk area. How do you deal with the development?

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Oberdorf could play their first competitive game for VfL Wolfsburg in the Champions League

Peter Hartenfelser / imago images

Oberdorf: We'll talk about it in the cabin. It's a shame that the numbers are now rising again, also for the tournament. But there are hygiene rules, regular tests for us, and we will live in a hotel on our own floor. We must not travel to Spain with fear.

SPIEGEL: FC Bayern will also be represented at the final tournament. The club has just signed many young international players. Why not you too?

Oberdorf: I only heard that Bayern were interested. But I also found Wolfsburg more likeable. The way football is played here also suits me very well. Wolfsburg is very dominant, when we used to play against them with my ex-club Essen, they had about ten percent possession.

SPIEGEL: What exactly is more appealing about Wolfsburg than about Munich?

Oberdorf: Everyone wants to go to Munich, at least as a tourist. Living there can be hectic though. I don't think I can get to workout in five minutes with the traffic. It is important to me to be in an environment with short distances. Here in Wolfsburg, we almost all live close together, and I'll be with Sara Doorsoun in five minutes. I need this closeness to feel good.

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Birgit Prinz replaced: Oberdorf (photo) became the youngest German World Cup player against China at 17 years, five months and 20 days

SPIEGEL: At the age of 18, you are now playing in the oldest team in the league - the average age for women from Wolfsburg was almost 27 so far. How is the difference noticeable?

Oberdorf: Oh, that's why they brought me in to lower the average age! No, I'm lucky that, despite my age, I'm already relatively far. My parents did well. Honestly? Sometimes the players are still like children in their heads.

SPIEGEL: Does it annoy you to be constantly asked about your age?

Oberdorf: I think it's good to be asked about it again and again. So it stays in the memory. Many media outlets forget that I am only 18 years old. But I'm not a chick either.

SPIEGEL: There is a lot of discussion in Germany about the future of women's football. How do you rate the development?

Oberdorf: The way is good, but the goal has not yet been reached. Much more is possible. When the men have an international match, an advertising poster hangs on each pylon. If we have a top game, it only depends on one in ten. There is still a lot of work to be done.

SPIEGEL: Who do you see as particularly responsible?

Oberdorf: Us players first. We have to use our reach in social media a lot more to bring sport to the fore. The DFB and the clubs can certainly improve a lot when I think about marketing. The women's department is already well known here in Wolfsburg - even as a newcomer, I am often recognized on the street.

SPIEGEL: Can you imagine being a strong voice in your sport in the future?

Oberdorf: At 18 you're not taken that seriously. But later I can certainly use my fame as a footballer.

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Last game with SGS Essen - against Wolfsburg of all places: In the cup final Oberdorf only lost on penalties with their ex-club

SPIEGEL: You sympathize with FC Schalke. Does it annoy you that there - and also with their big rival Borussia Dortmund - they do not rely on professional women's football?

Oberdorf: Definitely, even if I wouldn't switch to it right away. It is important that such clubs focus on women's football. From an international point of view, it also makes a difference whether I, as a player, receive an inquiry from Schalke 04 or from SGS Essen. A derby between Dortmund and Schalke would also appeal to a lot more viewers.

SPIEGEL: Schalke is now betting on women's football in popular sport - the starting shot is in the district league B.

Oberdorf: Always these excuses.

SPIEGEL : Is popular sport an excuse?

Oberdorf: If so, then do it properly - with the aim of playing in the Bundesliga. Other clubs show that it is possible.

The Champions League pairings; Games with German participation live on Sport1; The defending champion is Olympique Lyon

SPIEGEL: There has been a small revolution in the Netherlands: the football player Ellen Fokkema will appear for a men's team in the seventh division. Do you find such a model attractive?

Oberdorf: Yes, I do. I've played with guys for a very long time and benefited from them - I've become more robust, more assertive. I would have spent even more time in a boys' team had that been possible. But the question is whether a player can help the men. Can she take it physically? At some point I came to the point where conflicts arose, it doesn't have to be of a sporting nature, it can also be that you can't find any common topics to talk about. When suddenly only German rap was the topic in the dressing room, at first I couldn't even have a say.

SPIEGEL: At SPIEGEL, we repeatedly receive letters from the editor that football is a men's business and that women are simply not good enough for it. Have you ever been a victim of hatred?

Oberdorf: There is a story that I can remember. In the B youth, a boy once said to me on the soccer field: 'What do you want here? Go to the kitchen '. Then I just thought we'd sort that out on the pitch. The guy never won a duel. That was my answer.