Servus and welcome, Lena Oberdorf! In the 22-year-old, FC Bayern Women have gained an absolute top midfielder. The 50-time Germany international has moved from VfL Wolfsburg to the Bavarian capital ahead of the 2024/25 season. In our portrait, we take a closer look at the Gevelsberg native, who has been handed a contract until 2028.
Early beginnings and successful debuts
Oberdorf laced up her football boots for SGS Essen from 2018 to 2020 and already knows Lea Schüller.
Oberdorf was born on 19 December 2001 in Gevelsberg in the southern Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia. The former youth international began her football career at TuS Ennepetal and later moved to Bundesliga club SGS Essen via TSG Sprockhövel, where she quickly became a key player. The then 17-year-old scored for the Essen side both on her debut in the DFB Women's Cup and in the Women's Bundesliga. Oberdorf's exceptional understanding of the game and her versatility soon brought her recognition and led to her debut in the Germany Women's senior team just a short time later at the age of 17.
Continuous development
Oberdorf in a tussle with Giulia Gwinn - they already know each other from the national team and will be playing in the same side from the summer.
Oberdorf, nicknamed "Obi", moved to VfL Wolfsburg for the 2020/21 season. She continued her impressive development with the Wolves and played a key role in the team's success in the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup and the UEFA Women's Champions League. With VfL, the 2017 European U17 champion won the Bundesliga once and the DFB Cup four times. The midfielder also reached the final of the UEFA Women's Champions League with the club in the 2022/23 season.
Special awards at a young age
Oberdorf made her debut for the German national team at a World Cup at the age of just 18.
The winner of the Fritz Walter Medal in bronze (2018), silver (2019) and gold (2020) also playes an important role in the women's national team and her defensive strength and tactical skills make her an indispensable member of the team. Despite her young age, she's already played in several major tournaments, including the FIFA Women's World Cup and the UEFA Women's European Championship.
Oberdorf came second with Germany at the 2022 European Championship.
Her ability to read and control the game, combined with her physical presence, make Oberdorf one of the most promising young players in the world. At the 2022 Women's European Championship, Bayern's newest signing was named the best young player of the tournament. At the 2019 World Cup, Oberdorf became the youngest ever German player to represent her country at the tournament. To date, she's made 50 appearances for the DFB team and scored four goals.
The photos of Oberdorf signing her contract in Munich:
Sports-loving family
The Oberdorf family has always been sporty. Lena's mother was once a successful heptathlete, her sister Julia plays American football in the second tier and her brother is also a professional football player: Tim Oberdorf is a defender at Bundesliga 2 club Fortuna Düsseldorf and only just missed out on promotion in the play-off last season - where Lena naturally supported him from the stands. In addition to her passion for gaming, meeting friends or walking the dog, the top player also pursues musical hobbies including playing the guitar and DJing.
Behind the scenes at Lena Oberdorf's signing:
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