After a second cruciate ligament tear
“Every now and then the knee reacts”: DFB star gives rehab update
March 5, 2026 – 4:41 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
In October, Lena Oberdorf tore her cruciate ligament for the second time. Now she has given an insight into her rehab process.
The German national player Lena Oberdorf from FC Bayern is working on her return after her second cruciate ligament tear. The 24-year-old feels she is on the right track. “Everything is going according to plan, we are making good progress in rehab,” Oberdorf is quoted as saying on her club’s website. “Every now and then the knee reacts again, but that’s completely normal – otherwise everything is fine.”
The midfielder suffered the serious injury in October 2025 during the Bundesliga game against 1. FC Köln. Just a few weeks earlier she had made her comeback after her first cruciate ligament tear.
“Of course there are ups and downs in rehab. I just always try to see the positive,” said Oberdorf. For her, it’s currently about gaining more stability and new confidence in her damaged knee. “Because it’s a re-rupture, my knee is a little more sensitive right now,” says Oberdorf. “You have to make sure that you make the steps a little smaller. The first time you were able to march through more.”
The experiences from the first cruciate ligament tear help her. Mentally it would be easier for her to take the first steps. “I no longer have a block about jumping over the first hurdle. You know the exercises, you know what helps,” she explained. Rehabilitation is also “not always easy”. She is a person who wants to see what she has achieved. “Sometimes you have to understand that the joint just needs time,” clarified Oberdorf.
The DFB player moved from Wolfsburg to Munich in 2024. Due to her injuries, she has only been able to play eight competitive games for FC Bayern so far. It is not yet clear when Oberdorf will be able to play in regular games again.
