Birgit Prinz: The German Legendary Goalscoring Machine
Birgit Prinz burst onto the global stage as a 16-year-old, coming on as a sub and scoring on her debut. She announced herself as a global star to be reckoned with. The 5ft 1oin legendary striker was even offered a chance to play professional men’s football due to her footballing talents.
As a striker, Birgit was an unstoppable striker and became a role model for German girls and even girls worldwide. Join us as we explore the adventures of a true great of football who etched her name in the annals of football.
Legend Profile – Birgit Prinz
Birgit Prinz was born on 25 October 1977 in Frankfurt, West Germany. She is a legendary player who played for several clubs in Germany and the United States. Birgit also played internationally for the German women’s team. She won several international titles including the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
On an individual note, Birgit Prinz is a three-time women’s FIFA World Player of the Year. Prinz has a legendary status as one of the women’s football most prolific strikers.
Alongside Abby Wambach, Prinz is also the second FIFA Women’s World Cup all-time leading scorer with 14 goals behind Brazilian legendary Marta. Birgit is a born winner with an insatiable desire to score goals.
Prinz scored 496 goals for both club and country, including some that shaped the history of German football. Her first professional goal came on her debut, against Canada when she stepped up from the bench to score. The legendary German and football icon Birgit Prinz hung her boots in 2011.
Club career
During a club career that spanned 18 years, Birgit Prinz played in the Frauen-Bundesliga in Germany as well as the Women’s United Soccer Association in America. Prinz began her career at SV Dornigheim FC. However, when she was just 16, she moved to FSV Frankfurt where she made her Bundesliga debut and played from 1993 to 1998.
Birgit Prinz won two Bundesliga titles and two German Cups during her spell with the club. Prinz also won the Frauen-Bundesliga Golden Boot in 1997 and 1998. Despite her successes with the club, Prinz moved to local rivals 1. FFC Frankfurt in 1998.
At FFC Frankfurt, Prinz enjoyed her biggest success at club level with the club. Birgit Prinz spent 13 seasons at the club, winning six Frauen-Bundesliga and eight German Cup titles. She also won the Frauen-Bundesliga Golden Boot twice more in 2001 and 2007.
Continental Success and Moving to America
Prinz enjoys continental success with FFC Frankfurt winning the UEFA Women’s Cup three times during the 2001–02, 2005–06 and 2007–08 seasons. Although Birgit Prinz reached the 2004 UEFA Women’s Cup final, they lost to Swedish side Umeå IK 8-0 on aggregate.
In 2002 Birgit Prinz left Germany to join Carolina Courage in the American Professional Women’s League WUSA, where she spent two years. Furthermore, to add to her trophy collection, she won the 2002 WUSA Championship during her short stint with Carolina Courage.
After the 2003 World Cup, Prinz returned to FFC Frankfurt after declining an offer from AC Perugia to play in Italy’s men’s Serie A. Birgit Prinz said “The comparisons between me and world-class men’s players are flattering, but I believe they don’t fit reality.”
She also felt her transfer to Italy to become the first woman to play competitively in the men’s league would be used as a publicity stunt, eventually ending up on the bench.
Prinz eventually returned to FFC Frankfurt in 2002 winning the league four times during the 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons. She also won the German Cup four times during the 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08 and in the 2010–11 season when she retired.
International career
Birgit Prinz made her debut for the German national team in July 1994 against Canada when she was just 16. She came on as a substitute and scored the game-winner in the match. Prinz won her first major international title at the 1995 Women’s European Championship where she scored in the final.
That same year she was part of the German squad for the 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Although they lost to Norway in the final match, she made a record as she became the youngest player ever to appear in a World Cup Final. And to this day she is the youngest player male or female to make an appearance in a World Cup Final.
Over the next decade, Birgit Prinz had one of the most successful international careers in women’s football. Her rule atop the women’s game coincided with the dominant reign of the German women’s team. Prinz won four more UEFA European Championships with Germany in 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2009.
However, despite her dominance with Germany, Prinz failed to win the Olympic games with Germany, despite being one of the best goalscorers at the event. She still achieved some success with Germany winning the Bronze medal at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.
Birgit Prinz World Cup Triumphs and Captaining Die Nationalelf
During her stellar and enviable career, Prinz won two FIFA Women’s World Cup titles. Her first triumph came at the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where she helped Germany win its first women’s World Cup title. She won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the tournament.
After the 2003 World Cup towards the end of the year, Birgit Prinz was named the permanent captain of the German women’s national team. She remained the national team captain until her retirement in 2011.
At the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Prinz captained the Germans to their second World Cup title. Her performances at the tournament earned her the Silver Ball behind Brazilian legend Marta.
During her long career, Prinz set several national and international records. She scored 14 World Cup goals, making her the second all-time leading goalscorer at FIFA Women’s World Cups.
Prinz’s record of 10 goals in the Olympics is only second to Brazil’s Cristiane’s 14 goals at the Summer Olympics. During her time with the German national team, Prinz holds the record for the most capped player and top goalscorer. She played for Die Nationalelf 214 times and scored 128 goals for them.
Birgit Prinz’s Honours and Individual Accolade
During her stellar time at FFC Frankfurt, Birgit Prinz won so many personal awards. She holds the record for the number of German Female Footballer of the Year awards. Prinz won the award from 2001 to 2008.
Prinz also won the FIFA World Player of the Year for three consecutive years from 2003 to 2005. Subsequently, she came second in the awards for four consecutive years from 2007 to 2010 behind Brazilian football icon Marta. In a club career that spanned 18 years and three clubs, she averaged 1 goal a match scoring 282 games in 282 matches.
On the international stage, Prinz is the youngest player to play in a World Cup final, breaking the record set by the greatest footballer ever, the late Brazilian great Pele by a couple of weeks.
Birgit Prinz won the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She also won the Silver Ball at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Prinz is the all-time leading goalscorer at the FIFA Women’s World Cup with 14 goals. She is also the second highest goal scorer at the Olympics with 10 goals behind Brazil’s Cristiane who has 14 goals.
Birgit Prinz alongside Cristiane and Christine Sinclair are the only three women to have ever scored a hat trick in the Olympics. During her international career with Germany, she played 214 games scoring a remarkable 128 goals for the female national side.
Personal life of Birgit Prinz
After retiring from professional football in 2011, Prinz worked as a football pundit for German television. Prinz has also been involved in various charity initiatives, including supporting organizations that promote women’s football and girls’ education.
Prinz is a trained physical therapist, graduating with a master’s degree in psychology from the Goethe University Frankfurt. She never truly left football as she worked as a sports psychologist in the youth academy.
Birgit Prinz worked with the women’s U17 and Frauen-Bundesliga teams at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Prinz expanded her role with the club to work as the sports psychologist for the men’s and women’s teams of Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. She currently works with one of Germany’s and Frauen-Bundesliga’s brightest talents Mara Alber.
Conclusion
Birgit Prinz is widely regarded as one of the greatest female footballers of all time. She has inspired countless young players around the world and has been a pioneer for women’s football in Germany. Prinz’s on-field achievements and off-field contributions have cemented her status as a football legend.
