Fate did not always mean well with Ann-Katrin Berger. The national keeper fell ill twice of cancer, she won the struggle for life and death twice. The goalkeeper shaped the difficult times. She appreciates every day and radiates a certain serenity before the EM quarter-finals of the DFB selection against France.
On Wednesday afternoon there was no escape for Germany’s number one. Four days before the duel on Saturday (9 p.m., live in the ticker and audio stream on sportschau.de) with the French, Berger was literally dragged into the spotlight. At the behest of the DFB media department, she had to sit on the podium together with defender Kathrin Hendrich at the press conference mandatory during the EM.
When she found out about “I actually wanted to get away”the 34-year-old admitted. Born in the Swabian, the focus is not on. The goalkeeper from the US club Gotham FC is one of the modest and unpretentious representatives of her guild. Life taught her humility, also because she has already looked at death.
“All we have is now” stands on a large tattoo that Berger wears on her neck. “We only have the present” – This is the motto of the keeper who was ill in 2017 and 2022 in thyroid cancer. Since then, the view of the distance has been taboo for Berger, as she clarified when asked by a reporter who wanted to know whether she may end her DFB career after the European Championship: “I don’t really look that far into the future. I am a person who lives in the here and now.”
DFB keeper Berger has been playing abroad since 2014
The “here and now” said “here and now” is not easy for Berger and the European record champions. Even quite complicated. The 1: 4 bankruptcy in the third group game against Sweden made it clear that the DFB women have questionable deficits at work against the ball. The media echo on the defeat was appealing. But in the case of Berger it simply faded away.
“Since I left Germany, I don’t actually read any news at all. I just concentrate on myself and on my team.
“Since I left Germany, I actually don’t have read any news at all. I just concentrate on myself and my team and try to do my best”, “ Explained the goalkeeper from Göppingen, who has been making a living abroad since 2014. Paris Saint-Germain, Birmingham City, Chelsea FC were called their employers before they were moving to New Jersey over the large pond in the country of the supposedly unlimited possibilities last year.
At that time she was a heroine. A German heroine. Finally from their point of view. Because at her first big tournament as number one, Berger had a large part with various sentences parried, the fact that the DFB selection at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris won the bronze medal.
Not only in 2020 DFB debut, then in the shadow of Schult and Frohms
Only four years earlier, Berger had celebrated her national team debut. Then she stood in the shadow of Almuth Schult and Merle Frohms. Then she made interim national coach Horst Hrubesch in front of the games at the Sie’s number one. Since then, the Election American has defended this position and is now at an EM keeper for the first time.
“Of course it is a very, very nice feeling to perform the number one at such a tournament. If someone had told me that three years ago that it would happen, I would probably have shown the person a bird”said the 34-year-old.
Self -criticism after Sweden bankruptcy: “Not my best game”
Speaking of “bird shown”: In a certain sense, national coach Christian Wück zu Berger did this after the second group game against Denmark (2: 1). The 52-year-old was rightly applied to the goalkeeper in or at his own penalty area and announced a conversation with the keeper. Against Sweden, Berger then no longer looked for the “kick” in the one-to-one duels and was powerless at the goals. However, it was still frustrated and, above all, self -critical.
“Against Sweden, one of us was not able to show their complete talent – I have included. It wasn’t my best game either. But after the analysis that I have done the last few days, I have now completed it. I’m now focusing on France”said the 34-year-old.
Berger sees DFB team at eye level with France
France, the “Les Bleues”This team so exciting at the European Championships so far – the quarter -finals feel like an anticipated finale for Germany. A final in which the DFB selection is an outsider. From a neutral point of view. Because Berger confidently said: “We can play with them at eye level or even be better if we call up our top shape.”
Ann-Katrin Berger’s big success with the DFB team: Olympic bronze in Paris.
Berger wants to go to Basel. There the kick -off sounds to the final on July 27th. And there the 34-year-old wants to win the title in St. Jakob-Park. For Germany. For themselves. And for her grandfather. “My motivation is that he comes to the final. He said that the quarter -finals and the semi -finals are not worth it for him. From that, I have my own motivation to be proud of it”, “ explained Berger.
92-year-old grandpa as special motivation
Your grandpa is already 92 years old. In the first group game against Poland, he was sitting in the bracers with a jersey. He is the toughest critic of the goalkeeper. “I usually get my thumbs up or down. In the game I got a thumbs up – it doesn’t exist so often with him”said Germany’s number one.
But even in the event of early departure, the 34-year-old would of course not collapse the world. Especially not for them, who had to cope with completely different strokes of fate. She had already illustrated that after the Swedish game: “It’s not easy, and you don’t have to talk anything nice. I am grateful for doing the sport that I love and that I have my family around me.”