Melanie Leupolz

[OhForAGreavsie 5,776]

Chelsea Women sign Bayern Munich captain

https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/03/23/first-words--melanie-leupolz-

 

Melanie's first club interview. She will join ahead of the 2020/21 season. (Whenever that might be.)

https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/03/23/first-words--melanie-leupolz-

[Vesper 27,383]

On 23/03/2020 at 8:53 PM, OhForAGreavsie said:

Chelsea Women sign Bayern Munich captain

https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/03/23/first-words--melanie-leupolz-

 

Melanie's first club interview. She will join ahead of the 2020/21 season. (Whenever that might be.)

https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/03/23/first-words--melanie-leupolz-

she is a superb MFer

was the Bayern captain

2016 Olympic Gold medalist and Euro 2013 Gold with Germany too

massive signing!

would be like the men signing Leon Goretzka (and he stays healthy, lol, he is tracking to around 18 goals and 20 assists over 3600 or so minutes)

[OhForAGreavsie 5,776]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

she is a superb MFer

was the Bayern captain

2016 Olympic Gold medalist and Euro 2013 Gold with Germany too

massive signing!

would be like the men signing Leon Goretzka (and he stays healthy, lol, he is tracking to around 18 goals and 20 assists over 3600 or so minutes)

This is what everyone is saying. I hope you, and they, are right but I have doubts. When the deal was announced, I realised that I could not remember her from our Champions League game against Bayern a couple of seasons ago. This was already a bad sign, so I re-watched the game yesterday. 

For me, Melanie was not good that day. She was subbed, albeit late on, and then dropped for the second leg. It isn't just that she didn't have a great match. It's that she didn't look the type of player you hope for when you recruit an experienced international from a top club. On that night Melanie seemed awkward rather than smooth and lacked; elegance, touch, superior body control, and sharp passing.

For now, I take comfort from the fact that your impression of Pulli was better than mine, and hope it will only take Melanie a game or two prove that is so again.

[Vesper 27,383]

1 hour ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

This is what everyone is saying. I hope you, and they, are right but I have doubts. When the deal was announced, I realised that I could not remember her from our Champions League game against Bayern a couple of seasons ago. This was already a bad sign, so I re-watched the game yesterday. 

For me, Melanie was not good that day. She was subbed, albeit late on, and then dropped for the second leg. It isn't just that she didn't have a great match. It's that she didn't look the type of player you hope for when you recruit an experienced international from a top club. On that night Melanie seemed awkward rather than smooth and lacked; elegance, touch, superior body control, and sharp passing.

For now, I take comfort from the fact that your impression of Pulli was better than mine, and hope it will only take Melanie a game or two prove that is so again.

super header by Melanie v Arse, and she scores in the first video too

 

putting in a hard tackle here

great goal here

 

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[Vesper 27,383]

Melanie Leupolz: With a child to the World Cup

Motherhood and professional sports have long been mutually exclusive. National soccer player Melanie Leupolz wants to show that there is another way. For them, the World Cup is not just about winning the title.

https://www.dw.com/de/melanie-leupolz-mit-kind-zur-fußball-weltmeisterschaft/a-66148329

Melanie Leupolz listens to the national coach's instructions with great concentration. It is one of the last training sessions in Herzogenaurach, where the German women's national team is preparing for the  World Cup  in Australia and New Zealand. Once again the tempo on the training ground is increased a little, once again all players get everything out of themselves. Leupolz is right in the middle and keeps up with every pace.

This is not a matter of course, because the 29-year-old gave birth to her little son around eight months ago. But the midfielder didn't allow herself a long break. Only three and a half months after the birth, she has already taken part in team training at her club, Chelsea FC.

Chelsea as a model club

"I received the best support and understanding from my coach throughout the entire phase. She also has a child herself. That's why she knows what's important to combine professional football and family. That's why I'm very, very grateful." reports Leupolz in the DW interview.

 

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes was still on the training ground in the ninth month of pregnancy. And just a few weeks later, the pram was parked at the edge of the site. "The acceptance is absolutely there," Leupolz is quoted as saying on the website of the German Football Association: "Emma always says that I'm happy to bring the little one to the facility. He's not a distraction for the team or for them."

Chelsea is considered a model club in England when it comes to young professional mothers. "I had support from the club, who provided me with a pelvic floor trainer. That's why I quickly found my old strength again," explains Leupolz. "Every two weeks I had a Zoom call with experts in the field and I went through the exercises I could easily do. This kept my downtime fairly short and didn't make as much catching up," she adds an interview with the DFB.

Physically, according to the midfielder, she doesn't miss anything anymore and adds: "My coach even says that I look very fresh and light-footed." In addition, Chelsea extended the contract with Leupolz just a few months ago - shortly after the birth of their son. "My body recovered very quickly and well. I'm a bit surprised myself that it worked so quickly. Most recently in the Champions League at Olympique Lyon I was back on the pitch for 90 minutes. I'm really happy that I I'm back now."

Olympique Lyon cut Gunnarsdottir's salary

Even if everything went well for Leupolz and she received the full support of the club, there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to "being a mother in professional sport". This is illustrated by the case of Sara Björk Gunnarsdottir . She moved from top German club VfL Wolfsburg to Olympique Lyon in France in 2020 and became pregnant in 2021. With the consent of her club, the player traveled to her home country Iceland for the last few months before the birth. The club then only transferred part of her salary and later stopped making payments entirely. It was only after a tribunal by the world association FIFA that Gunnarsdottir received a salary of around 82,000 euros from Lyon. The Icelander now plays for Juventus Turin in Italy.

 

Melanie Leupolz: "The DFB is very open"

Things went much better for Leupolz, but there is still a dual role that is not always easy to master. "Of course it's a challenge and also difficult, but it's nice that I can combine both, Leupolz told DW. "Of course I knew that having a child during your career is a certain risk. But it's beautiful that it works with the right support. That's why it's cool that I can be here."

 

At the DFB, the topic was accepted positively from the start. Goalkeeper Almut Schult and his child had already made their way back into the national team before Leupolz. National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg also gave birth to her daughter during her active career in the 1990s and continued to play football at the same time at the highest level. "The DFB is very open on the subject. If I need something, I should let them know and they try to implement it," said Leupolz. "That's why we're both very welcome there and that's wonderful."

Martina Voss-Tecklenburg: "We know what we can do"

While Leupolz' teammates enjoy their free time after training, the young mother's second "job" begins - also during the preparation. "When I'm on the pitch I'm a 100 percent professional footballer and when I'm at home I'm just a mother," says Leupolz. The two areas would enrich each other and it was "all the better that both are possible."

Leupolz was able to take part in the training camps before the World Cup without any problems, so that the dream of participating in the World Cup could come true: National coach Voss-Tecklenburg has called Leupolz into her World Cup squad, so she can actually travel to Australia with the youngsters. Even if Voss-Tecklenburg is not completely satisfied with the performance of their team, the DFB team is one of the strongest teams at the World Cup.

"We know what we can do, what we want, where our path can lead," said the national coach and added: "We are aware that many things have to come together in the end." The goal of the DFB women is clearly defined: They want to play for the World Cup title. The DFB women will also be supported in their task by Leupolz' little son, who will travel to Australia with them. And the young mother doesn't have to worry about looking after her offspring in "Down Under".

"We'll do everything that helps Melly. We're pretty relaxed about it," said the national coach. "Many players are probably already looking forward to playing childminder all day and also to having fun with the little man." 23 babysitters and grandma Martina are ready, says Voss-Tecklenburg.

Leupolz wants to encourage other women

For Leupolz, the World Cup is about more than the title, she wants to use her dual role and encourage other women. "I hope that I can act as a role model because everything worked great for me. The other clubs should see that too." Leupolz hopes that other women will be able to "put aside the fear that they will then be dropped by their associations and clubs."

Of course there is always a certain risk because you never know how a pregnancy will go, but "if a woman then decides to have a child during her career, then I hope that I encourage this woman and show her that it's possible."

Edited July 12, 2023 by Vesper

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