Alexandra Popp

1.1. Childhood and education

Popp attended Gesamtschule Berger Feld in Gelsenkirchen, one of the four facilities in Germany certified as "elite schools of football" by the German Football Association. Notably, she was the sole female pupil at the school and was only able to attend due to a special permit. During her time there, she trained and studied alongside junior players from the German men's Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04. Popp completed her secondary education after the 12th grade, earning a Fachabitur diploma.

1.2. Early career development

Popp began her football journey at FC Silschede, where she played in mixed-gender teams until she reached the age limit of 14. Following her time at FC Silschede, she transitioned to 1. FFC Recklinghausen, spending three years there before joining the Bundesliga side FCR 2001 Duisburg in 2008. At the time, she had also received an offer from French champions Olympique Lyonnais but ultimately chose to join Duisburg.

2.1. FCR 2001 Duisburg

Popp made her Bundesliga debut for FCR 2001 Duisburg in September 2008 against Herforder SV. Just three weeks later, she scored her first two professional goals in an 8-0 victory over TSV Crailsheim. In her inaugural year with Duisburg, Popp played a pivotal role in the team securing a historic double, winning both the 2009 UEFA Women's Cup and the 2009 German Cup. Her impressive performance led to her being awarded the 2009 Fritz Walter Medal in silver, recognizing her as the year's second-best female junior player. A year later, Popp helped Duisburg claim the German Cup title once again in 2010. The team also finished as runner-up in the 2009-10 Bundesliga season. Due to significant injury concerns within the Duisburg squad during the 2010-11 season, Popp demonstrated her versatility by playing the majority of her matches at left back.

2.2. VfL Wolfsburg

In the 2012-13 season, Popp transferred to VfL Wolfsburg, accompanied by her club teammate Luisa Wensing. Her first season at Wolfsburg was remarkably successful, as she contributed to the club winning an unprecedented treble: the Frauen-Bundesliga championship, the DFB-Pokal Frauen, and the UEFA Women's Champions League.

The following year, Wolfsburg successfully defended their UEFA Women's Champions League title. The Frauen-Bundesliga championship race came down to the final day of the season, with Wolfsburg facing the previously unbeaten 1. FFC Frankfurt. Frankfurt needed only a draw to secure the title, while Wolfsburg required a victory. Popp scored the decisive winning goal in the 89th minute, securing the championship for Wolfsburg. They also emerged victorious in the DFB-Pokal Frauen that season, further solidifying her impact on the team's continued dominance.

3.1. Youth national team

Popp achieved her first international title with Germany at the 2008 UEFA U-17 Women's Championship, where she scored the team's second goal in the final match. In the same year, she helped the team secure a third-place finish at the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. In 2010, Popp returned to junior competition for the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, which was hosted on German soil. She was instrumental in Germany's victory, winning the tournament title and being recognized as both the best player (Golden Ball) and the top goalscorer (Golden Shoe). She achieved the remarkable feat of scoring in every single game Germany played, netting a total of ten goals, which holds the scoring record for that tournament alongside Sydney Leroux and Christine Sinclair.

3.2. Senior national team

Popp made her debut for the senior German national team in February 2010, at the age of 18, in a friendly match against North Korea. Less than two weeks later, she scored her first two international goals at the 2010 Algarve Cup in a dominant 7-0 victory over Finland.

She was subsequently called up for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, playing in all four games as a substitute before Germany was eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Japan. Later that year, in a European Championship qualifying match against Kazakhstan, Popp showcased her scoring prowess by contributing four goals to a record 17-0 victory, becoming the seventh German woman to score four goals in an international game.

On 24 May 2015, then-coach Silvia Neid selected Popp for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Germany finished fourth in Canada, defeating strong European teams like Sweden and France, but were eventually defeated by the eventual champions, the United States. Popp started in four of the team's seven games and scored one goal.

Popp was again called up for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where Germany clinched the gold medal. She played in all six matches, contributing one goal and two assists. For her performance and the team's success, she, along with the rest of the German squad, received the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silbernes Lorbeerblatt^German), Germany's highest sports honor.

She unfortunately missed the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 tournament due to injury. Her absence was a significant loss for Germany, as they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Denmark, underscoring her importance to the team.

Popp was named captain of the German squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in February 2019. She played every minute of the group stage, scoring a header against South Africa. On 22 June 2019, she made her 100th appearance for Germany in the round of 16 match against Nigeria, where she also scored the opening goal.

At UEFA Women's Euro 2022, Popp was a standout performer, scoring both of Germany's goals in their semi-final victory against France. During Germany's opening match of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Popp scored Germany's first two goals against Morocco in a decisive 6-0 win. As captain at the 2023 World Cup, she scored in all three group stage matches, but despite her efforts, Germany suffered their first-ever group stage exit in World Cup history, facing Morocco, Colombia, and South Korea.

On 30 September 2024, Popp announced her retirement from international football, with her final game for the national team played on 28 October 2024. Before her retirement, she also contributed to Germany winning the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

5.1. Club statistics

Statistics updated as of 20 May 2024.

5.2. International goals

Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Popp goal.

Statistics updated as of 9 August 2024.

6.1. Club honours

FCR 2001 Duisburg

• UEFA Women's Cup: 2008-09
• DFB-Pokal Frauen: 2008-09, 2009-10
• Frauen-Bundesliga: Runner-up 2009-10

VfL Wolfsburg

• UEFA Women's Champions League: 2012-13, 2013-14
• Frauen-Bundesliga: 2012-13, 2013-14, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22
• DFB-Pokal Frauen: 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24

6.2. International honours

Germany U17

• FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup: Third place 2008
• UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship: 2008

Germany U20

• FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup: 2010

Germany

• Olympic Games: Gold medal 2016, Bronze medal 2024
• UEFA Women's Championship: Runner-up 2022
• UEFA Women's Nations League: Third place 2023-24
• Algarve Cup: 2012, 2014, 2020

6.3. Individual honours

• UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship: Golden Player 2008
• Fritz Walter Medal: Silver 2009
• FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Golden Ball: 2010
• FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Golden Shoe: 2010
• Footballer of the Year in Germany: 2014, 2016, 2023
• Silbernes Lorbeerblatt: 2016, 2024
• IFFHS Women's World Team: 2020, 2022
• UEFA Women's Championship Silver Boot: 2022
• UEFA Women's Championship Team of the Tournament: 2022
• Frauen-Bundesliga Top scorer: 2022-23
• DFB-Pokal Frauen Top scorer: 2022-23
• FIFA Women's World Cup Bronze Boot: 2023
• Germany women's national Player of the Year: 2022