Nadine Kessler is a promising candidate to become managing director of the DFB and thus successor to Oliver Bierhoff. She would then have to prove that she was as successful in the men’s field as she was in the women’s field.
A public profile on social networks reveals a lot about a person, at least it gives an idea of their preferences, hobbies and passions. Nadine Kessler’s profile on Instagram shows at first glance that she is also professionally involved in women’s football. However, it is also listed in the bio: “Managing Director Women’s Football” for the European association UEFA it is stated there.
That may soon change, because Kessler is a promising candidate to become managing director of the German Football Association (DFB). The information from the sports show corresponds to that of the “Abendzeitung”, which came up with this surprising message on Thursday (08/17/2023). Surprising because Kessler’s name had not been traded so far, but above all because she would then no longer only be responsible for women’s football, but for all German national teams.
The ailing German men’s football, which will start the European Championship in 2024 with the mortgage of three disappointing major tournaments, would then also be Kessler’s area of responsibility. Inquiries from the sports show to Nadine Kessler have so far been unsuccessful, the DFB had only confirmed on Thursday that she was one of several candidates. It is unclear when the important personal details should be decided.
World star with only 29 international matches
Nadine Kessler was born in April 1988 in Landstuhl, Rhineland-Palatinate. The community is about 20 kilometers west of the Fritz Walter Stadium. Your preference for 1. FC Kaiserslautern was therefore programmed. Football, says Kessler, was “put into her cradle” anyway. She made it from the village to the Bundesliga and national team, she became European champion in 2013, won the Champions League with Turbine Potsdam in 2010 and in 2013 and 2014 with VfL Wolfsburg. She also celebrated four German championships with these two clubs. She received the highest personal award in 2014, when she was named World Player of the Year.
Nadine Kessler was a world star. The fact that she still only has 29 international matches with ten goals is due to frequent knee injuries. In 2016, she therefore announced the end of her career.
During her time in Wolfsburg, the graduate fitness economist worked part-time in a communications agency. UEFA’s reputation arrived in 2017. First she was paid as a consultant for the development of women’s football, later she was employed.
An eventful year 2023
Nadine Kessler has a good 25,000 followers on Instagram. She follows Manchester United and Manchester City, current Chancellor Olaf Scholz and former Chancellor Angela Merkel. She follows Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. It is difficult to read preferences from the profile.
On the other hand, the evidence for the claim that 2023 was a very eventful year for Nadine Kessler is simple. She married her longtime partner Emily Shaw. The couple named their child Jordi Leon.
New territory and turning point
Neither the “Munzinger” encyclopedia nor her Instagram profile provide answers to the questions of why the German Football Association picked her as managing director, what network she has in men’s football, what ideas she had when she started the job. To quote Angela Merkel, Kessler would be entering “new territory” to trouble Olaf Scholz, it would be a “turning point” at the DFB, which used a task force consisting only of men after Oliver Bierhoff left after the 2022 World Cup.