“It took a lot of energy”
DFB star Gwinn comments on personal EM drama
April 13, 2026 – 3:22 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
At the European Championships, Giulia Gwinn was injured in the first game. Now the DFB captain has spoken about this difficult experience.
The German national soccer player Giulia Gwinn gave an insight into her mental life during the European Championships last year. At the tournament in Switzerland, the 26-year-old suffered an inner ligament injury to her left knee in the first game against Poland (2-0) and was out for the rest of the tournament.
“The summer of 2025 was completely different for me than I had hoped,” said Gwinn in an interview with the editorial network Germany. “But I really wanted to do justice to my role. There was no doubt that this tournament was by no means over for me, even after my personal sporting retirement.”
For Gwinn, the European Championships in Switzerland were the first major tournament in which she led the German team onto the field as captain. She didn’t want to put her personal drama in the foreground. “That’s exactly what I want as a leader: not to think about the ego, especially in moments like this, but about the we,” said Gwinn.
Nevertheless, the FC Bayern full-back admitted that her loss was definitely bothering her. “It took a lot of energy just to watch after the injury,” Gwinn said. However, due to the special nature of the team, she “took in what felt particularly good.”
Gwinn particularly highlighted the quarter-final game against France in this context. The DFB team ultimately won the game on penalties thanks to a show of willpower, even though they had to play outnumbered since the opening phase due to a red card against Kathrin Hendrich. Gwinn emphasized that she gave “the most emotional speech of my career” at that game.
