National player Lena Oberdorf is about to make a sensational move within the Bundesliga. This cements the future balance of power.
For years, 1. FFC Frankfurt and Turbine Potsdam were the ultimate in German women’s football. But the two traditional clubs have now degenerated into a marginal note. The 1. FFC merged with the big Eintracht from Frankfurt three and a half years ago. Turbine was relegated last season and is currently playing in the 2nd Bundesliga.
The Brandenburg women’s last league title was almost twelve years ago, and the Frankfurt women’s even longer. Since then, two other clubs have been competing for the championship season after season: VfL Wolfsburg and FC Bayern.
During this time, the Lower Saxons have developed into the international flagship of German women’s football. They have won the DFB Cup every year since 2015, also won the Champions League twice and reached the final of the premier class four more times.
But the VW club’s supremacy in Germany appears to be in lasting danger. Because FC Bayern is about to sign a key player in the Wolfsburg squad. The Munich team is on the verge of not only catching up with their long-term rivals, but also leaving them behind in the long term.
Oberdorf before change: VfL loses “aggressive leader”
On Monday there was a rumor circulating that Lena Oberdorf could actually change sides in the ongoing feud between the two top teams for the championship in the women’s Bundesliga starting in the summer. The “Soccerdonna” portal initially reported on the deal, and later “Sportbild” also confirmed the impending transfer. FC Bayern could therefore use an exit clause in Oberdorf’s contract, which runs until 2025, and release the German international from Wolfsburg for 200,000 to 250,000 euros.
The loss of Oberdorf would be a serious blow for VfL. The “Wolves” have already signed a replacement in Freiburg’s Janina Minge, but this cannot in any way compensate for the possible departure of the regular player.
At just 22 years old, Oberdorf is one of the undisputed leaders on the pitch: at VfL, but also in the DFB team. Former national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg once described her as an “aggressive leader”. Understandable, because Oberdorf’s strength in duels is unparalleled in the league – and even in the whole world.
“Even at a young age, Lena has a physical presence, a will, but also an intuition to go into duels at the right moment and to set an example,” emphasized Voss-Tecklenburg in the documentary “Born for this” as part of the European Championship 2022 . The player herself once explained: “I love it when things get physical, when there’s a bang in a duel.”
“Ruhrpott mentality”: Oberdorf’s promising beginnings
A former teammate confirms that Oberdorf is an absolutely exceptional player. Irini Ioannidou played for SGS Essen in the Bundesliga between 2010 and 2021. Oberdorf was also under contract there between 2018 and 2020.
“When Lena came to us at 16, she was already incredibly robust in stature,” said Ioannidou in an interview with t-online. “You could definitely tell straight away that she had played with boys before.” This robustness, coupled with her strength in duels, is Oberdorf’s big trump card.
Not long afterwards, the young player received a call from the former national coach. Since then, Oberdorf has been an integral part of the DFB team. “I actually said straight after the first few weeks in Essen: Lena will be 100 percent a national player. That was somehow clear to me,” says Ioannidou.
What particularly impresses the former Bundesliga player about the DFB star, who was born in North Rhine-Westphalia: “She has the Ruhrpott mentality. That means: she never gives up and always goes beyond her limits.” The move to Wolfsburg 2020 has been right for Oberdorf. “She has developed well, which is not always the case when you move to a top club as a young girl.”