Shock for FC Bayern
DFB star seriously injured again – threatens to end the season
Updated 10/21/2025 – 11:32 amReading time: 2 minutes
Lena Oberdorf, who has been injured for a long time, was actually supposed to make her comeback for Germany in the Nations League. But the Bayern player experienced a shocking moment against Cologne.
It had been hinted at, now it’s clear: Lena Oberdorf has been seriously injured. As FC Bayern announced on Monday afternoon, the midfielder has again torn a cruciate ligament in her right knee. The midfield star suffered the injury on Sunday in the Bundesliga game against 1. FC Köln (5:1). The 23-year-old will have surgery on Tuesday. This means she will also miss the Final Four in the Nations League with the German national team against France.
Bayern’s director Bianca Rech said in a statement: “This news hits us all very hard and we feel for Lena. After her first injury, she worked on her comeback with great will and tireless commitment. The fact that she now has to experience such a setback again is incredibly hard. We are fully at Lena’s side, will support her as best we can on her journey and will be there for her in all matters.”
Cologne’s Adriana Achcinska had an unfortunate hit on Oberdorf’s right leg in the 20th minute during a duel in midfield on Sunday; the contact caused her knee to buckle slightly. The 23-year-old had to be substituted straight away and limped off the pitch with tears in her eyes, supported by both sides.
Now national coach Christian Wück has to reschedule for the semi-finals in the Nations League against France and also have to do without his planned top performer in the long term. The DFB nominated her Bayern colleague Linda Dallmann for Oberdorf, who had actually been left out of the squad after the European Championships and was initially only on call. Wück’s selection met on Monday for the first training session before the games against France.
On July 16, 2024, Oberdorf had already suffered a torn cruciate and medial ligament in her right knee in an international match against Austria, missed the Olympics and the European Championships in Switzerland before returning at the end of August after a forced break of over a year. With good performances and even three goals, Oberdorf immediately caught the attention of Wück, who brought her back into his squad the previous week. The national coach had hoped that the midfielders could become “an important factor in the long term”. But after the shock diagnosis, this will be delayed for a while.
Oberdorf himself shared a black and white photo of himself on the pitch on Instagram and wrote: “Until we see each other again.” She also posted a broken heart. Within minutes, numerous current and former teammates took part. “At your side!” commented DFB captain Giulia Gwinn: “We’ll catch you.” Alexandra Popp and Laura Freigang reacted with encouraging heart emojis. Spanish international Aitana Bonmatí also wrote: “Stay strong.”