1. Early Life and Background
Melanie Leupolz was born on 14 April 1994, in Wangen im Allgäu, a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Her early footballing journey began at the youth level with local clubs TSV Ratzenried and TSV Tettnang. This early engagement in youth football laid the foundation for her transition into professional play. In 2010, Leupolz took a significant step in her career by joining SC Freiburg, where she began her professional development in the German league system.
2. Club Career
Melanie Leupolz's club career spans several prominent teams across Germany and England, culminating in her recent move to Spain.
2.1. Youth and Early Career
Leupolz initiated her playing career within the youth ranks of TSV Ratzenried and TSV Tettnang. Her talent quickly became apparent, leading to her professional debut with SC Freiburg in 2010. She first played in the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga, the second tier of women's football in Germany. During the 2010-11 season, SC Freiburg achieved a first-place finish, securing their promotion to the top-tier Frauen-Bundesliga. In her debut season, Leupolz made 16 appearances and scored 6 goals in the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga.
2.2. SC Freiburg
Following SC Freiburg's promotion, Leupolz made her Frauen-Bundesliga debut on 21 August 2011. In this inaugural match, an away draw against SC 07 Bad Neuenahr which ended 2-2, she also scored her first Bundesliga goal. She continued to be a key player for Freiburg until 2014. During her time with the club, she made a total of 75 league appearances, scoring 13 goals, and contributed to 83 appearances across all competitions with 14 goals.
2.3. FC Bayern Munich
On 17 February 2014, it was officially announced that Melanie Leupolz would transfer to Bayern Munich after the conclusion of the 2013-14 Frauen-Bundesliga season, with her contract set to run until 30 June 2017. Her debut for Bayern Munich took place on 31 August 2014, in a 1-1 home draw against 1. FFC Frankfurt. Leupolz scored her first goal for the club on 2 October 2014, contributing to a 4-0 victory over Bayer 04 Leverkusen in an away fixture.
Leupolz was instrumental in Bayern Munich's success during her tenure, helping the team secure consecutive Frauen-Bundesliga titles in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. In the 2017-18 DFB-Pokal Frauen season, she also contributed to Bayern Munich reaching the final, where they finished as runners-up. In December 2018, her strong performances led to a contract extension with the club, committing her to Bayern Munich until the summer of 2020. Overall, Leupolz made 99 league appearances, scoring 12 goals, and a total of 128 appearances with 20 goals during her time at Bayern Munich.
2.4. Chelsea FC Women
Melanie Leupolz made a significant move to English football, signing with Chelsea on 23 March 2020, ahead of the 2020-21 season. Her first title with Chelsea came on 29 August 2020, when the team won the FA Community Shield. On 13 September, she scored her inaugural goal for Chelsea in a dominant 9-0 victory over Bristol City. Leupolz played a crucial role in Chelsea's journey to the UEFA Women's Champions League final on 16 May 2021, where her team ultimately fell 4-0 to Barcelona.
On 7 March 2022, Chelsea announced that Leupolz was pregnant, leading to her absence for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. The club provided full support during this period. She made her return to play for Chelsea at the beginning of 2023 after giving birth. Her return coincided with continued success for the club, as she was part of the squad that secured both the Women's Super League and FA Cup titles in the 2022-23 season. Throughout her time at Chelsea, Leupolz featured in 44 league matches, scoring 6 goals, and accumulated 83 appearances with 10 goals across all competitions.
2.5. Real Madrid Femenino
On 3 July 2024, Melanie Leupolz completed a transfer to Real Madrid, marking a new chapter in her club career in the Spanish Liga F.
3. International Career
Melanie Leupolz represented Germany across various youth national teams before becoming a prominent figure in the senior women's national team.
3.1. Youth National Teams
Leupolz began her international career with the German youth national teams. In 2009, she played for the Germany U-15 team, making 5 appearances and scoring 1 goal. From 2009 to 2011, she was part of the Germany U-17 national team, where she played 5 matches and scored 7 goals. She served as captain for the Germany U-17 team in both the 2010 and 2011 UEFA U-17 Women's Championships, where Germany secured a third-place finish in both tournaments. In the 2011 tournament, she famously missed a penalty in the semi-final shootout against France.
Leupolz also participated in the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup held in Trinidad and Tobago. During the group stage, she scored two goals in a commanding 10-1 victory over South Africa. However, Germany was eliminated from the tournament after a 0-1 loss to North Korea in the quarterfinals. From 2011 to 2013, she played for the Germany U-19 national team, earning 12 caps and scoring 4 goals. Her youth international career also included participation in the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Japan, where Germany finished as runner-up.
3.2. Senior National Team
Melanie Leupolz made her senior debut for the Germany women's national football team on 19 June 2013, in a friendly match against Canada in Paderborn, which Germany won 1-0. The day following her debut, she was named to the German squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2013 in Sweden. Leupolz featured in four matches during the tournament, playing a crucial role as Germany went on to win the championship.
Her first goal for the senior national team came on 21 September 2013, in a 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification match against Russia in Cottbus. Leupolz scored Germany's sixth goal in what became a decisive 9-0 victory. On 24 May 2015, she was selected by coach Silvia Neid to be part of Germany's squad for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. In this tournament, Leupolz played in six matches, and scored Germany's first goal in a 4-0 group stage win over Thailand. Germany ultimately finished fourth in the competition.
Leupolz was a key member of the German squad at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she participated in all six matches. She scored Germany's fifth goal in a 6-1 victory over Zimbabwe during the group stage. Germany went on to claim the gold medal in the women's football tournament. She missed the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 in the Netherlands due to a knee injury.
At the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, Leupolz was again part of the German squad, making four appearances. She scored Germany's fourth goal in a 4-0 group stage win against South Africa, her first international goal since the 2016 Summer Olympics. However, Germany's tournament ended in the quarterfinals with a 1-2 defeat to Sweden. In September 2023, Melanie Leupolz announced her retirement from the national team, concluding an international career with 79 appearances and 13 goals.
4. Career Statistics
Melanie Leupolz has maintained a consistent record of appearances and goals throughout her club and international career. Individual statistics are shown for club matches across league, national cup (including DFB-Pokal and Women's FA Cup), league cup (including FA Women's League Cup), continental competitions (such as UEFA Women's Champions League), and other tournaments (like the FA Community Shield).
4.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| SC Freiburg | 2010-11 | 2. Frauen-Bundesliga | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 17 | 6 | |||
| 2011-12 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 21 | 3 | ||||
| 2012-13 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 21 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | 24 | 3 | ||||
| 2013-14 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 18 | 1 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | 22 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 75 | 13 | 8 | 1 | - | - | - | 83 | 14 | |||||
| Bayern Munich | 2014-15 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 22 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 24 | 5 | |||
| 2015-16 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 17 | 2 | 4 | 0 | - | 2 | 1 | - | 23 | 3 | |||
| 2016-17 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | 2 | - | 12 | 4 | |||
| 2017-18 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 19 | 0 | 4 | 1 | - | 2 | 0 | - | 25 | 1 | |||
| 2018-19 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 5 | 1 | - | 20 | 1 | |||
| 2019-20 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 20 | 6 | 1 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | - | 24 | 6 | |||
| Total | 99 | 12 | 16 | 4 | - | 13 | 4 | - | 128 | 20 | ||||
| Chelsea | 2020-21 | FA WSL | 19 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 8 |
| 2021-22 | WSL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | - | 13 | 1 | ||
| 2022-23 | WSL | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2023-24 | WSL | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 21 | 1 | ||
| Total | 44 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 83 | 10 | ||
| Real Madrid | 2024-25 | Liga F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 218 | 31 | 33 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 34 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 294 | 44 | ||
4.2. International Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2013 | 10 | 1 |
| 2014 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2015 | 17 | 3 | |
| 2016 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 79 | 13 | |
4.2.1. International Goals
Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Leupolz goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 September 2013 | Cottbus, Germany | Russia | 6-0 | 9-0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 5 April 2014 | Dublin, Ireland | Republic of Ireland | 3-2 | 3-2 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 10 April 2014 | Mannheim, Germany | Slovenia | 1-0 | 4-0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 8 May 2014 | Osnabrück, Germany | Slovakia | 7-0 | 9-1 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 8 April 2015 | Fürth, Germany | Brazil | 3-0 | 4-0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 15 June 2015 | Winnipeg, Canada | Thailand | 1-0 | 4-0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 7 | 18 September 2015 | Halle, Germany | Hungary | 11-0 | 12-0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying |
| 8 | 3 August 2016 | São Paulo, Brazil | Zimbabwe | 5-0 | 6-1 | 2016 Summer Olympics |
| 9 | 17 June 2019 | Montpellier, France | South Africa | 1-0 | 4-0 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 10 | 5 October 2019 | Aachen, Germany | Ukraine | 7-0 | 8-0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2021 qualifying |
| 11 | 22 September 2020 | Podgorica, Montenegro | Montenegro | 2-0 | 3-0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2021 qualifying |
| 12 | 21 September 2021 | Chemnitz, Germany | Serbia | 5-1 | 5-1 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 13 | 30 November 2021 | Faro, Portugal | Portugal | 3-0 | 3-1 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
5. Honours
Melanie Leupolz has accumulated numerous honours throughout her distinguished career at both club and international levels, in addition to receiving individual accolades.
5.1. Club
- Bundesliga: 2014-15, 2015-16 (with Bayern Munich)
- DFB-Pokal: Runners-up (2017-18) (with Bayern Munich)
- FA WSL: 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 (with Chelsea)
- FA Women's League Cup: 2020-21 (with Chelsea)
- FA Community Shield: 2020 (with Chelsea)
- FA Women's Cup: 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 (with Chelsea)
5.2. International
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup: 2012 runner-up (with Germany U-20)
- UEFA Women's Championship: 2013 (with Germany)
- Algarve Cup: 2014 (with Germany)
- Summer Olympics: 2016 gold medal (with Germany)
5.3. Individual
- Fritz Walter Medal: Gold (2013), Bronze (2011)
- Silbernes Lorbeerblatt: 2016