Hundreds of thousands of people in this country have the dream of becoming a professional footballer. But for some who have made it, the dream is over quicker than expected.
Ten years after moving to SC Freiburg, footballer Kim Fellhauer will end her career in the summer.
Due to serious injuries, including several torn cruciate ligaments, the 26-year-old defensive player only played 64 games for the Breisgauer team.
“My journey as an active player ends here,” said the former U17 European champion in a club statement from the Bundesliga club on Monday: “For the sake of my body and my health, I had to make this difficult decision.”
“It hurts me extremely that Kim will end her career,” department head Birgit Bauer-Schick is quoted as saying in the statement. “I accompanied her for such a long time with many ups, but unfortunately even more downs. It is very painful for our team, but especially for Kim, that she has to give up her dream of playing football prematurely for health reasons.”
What Fellhauer will do in the future is not yet publicly known.