Mala Grohs interview: 'I'm fine the way I am'

In October 2024, FCB goalkeeper Mala Grohs was diagnosed with cancer. Now, just over a year later, she’s not only fit as a fiddle again – she feels stronger than ever before. In an interview for 51 magazine, she explains how she dealt with the disease, what helped her in the difficult times and why it wasn’t just her body that had to heal.

Mala, the turn of the year is always an opportunity to reflect. You’ve had a more moving 12 months than anyone: from the diagnosis of a malignant tumor to winning the double. What stands out from 2025?
Mala Grohs: “The first thing is the video call in which I was declared healthy, so to speak. I’ll always remember that moment. And then my comeback, in the Champions League against Lyon including a penalty save. Then we had an incredible May as a team with the double and an emotional tournament in Portugal. But to be honest, at that time the titles weren’t the most important thing for me. When we celebrated, I realised how tired I was.”

Do you mean mentally tired?
“Yes. So much has happened with me, I had to process it first. I then took that time in the summer, consciously spent a lot of time at home, with the family – that did me a lot of good. I learned a lot about myself: why I felt the way I did when I did, how much the mind and body can take. The mind and soul also need time to heal. Today I can say that the whole experience – from diagnosis to processing – has made me stronger.”

Let’s go back a year. How did you go into the new year at the end of 2024, after being diagnosed with a malignant tumor?
“I ended the year with some very positive news. A few days before Christmas, my doctor told me that I was finished with my treatment, so I was able to go into the hoidays relaxed and looking forward to being back on the pitch and returning to the team.”

Sheer relief, then?
“Up until New Year’s Eve I was totally relaxed. I enjoyed being off and switching off. And then on 1 January came the drop. Suddenly the adrenaline was gone and I felt how arduous it had all been, the stress of the past months. I was totally wiped out and I remember saying to my parents: ‘I’ve no idea how I can go back to Munich now.’ It’s always hard to make comparisons, but it was kind of like when you get ill on holiday because the body can finally let go. I’d been so focused on being positive the whole time, put so much energy into it – and when the tension was gone, I realised how much it had all taken out of me. I needed a few days to rest, then things improved again. But it wasn’t until the summer that I could really process everything.”

Are there moments when the disease still catches up with you now?
“I recently came across a young woman on social media who has terminal cancer. Incurable. At times like this, I realise how lucky I have been. Even during my follow-up appointments, I am constantly reminded of the time I spent battling illness. It makes you remember what is really important in life. And that is actually quite nice.”

How do you deal with the fear that the cancer could come back?
“Respect, yes – fear, no. I certainly go into the follow-up appointments with a certain tension, but every time it’s all fine, I gain more confidence. I think this aspect is just part of the whole thing. And I also know that if the cancer did come back, I’d be able to handle it.”

You’re very open about what happened to you. For example, you show your scar on social media. Is that part of your way of dealing with the whole thing?
“I don’t feel at all that I should hide my scar or my story. Nobody who’s experienced something like this needs to feel ashamed of it. The scar doesn’t bother me at all – sometimes I even forget it. I also show it because it contains a message: take care of yourselves! And: you don’t need to hide anything just because it’s not perfect.”

Apart from the scar, has anything else stayed with you from that time?
“Certainly the awareness of your own fragility. I listened to my body already, but now I do it even more consciously. And something that I associate with this period is all the support I received. The care in the hospital, the dedication of the doctors, the many little gestures, also the support of my family, friends, teammates and the club. They’re nice memories.”

Do you have an example?
“Giulia Gwinn had read in 51 magazine that I like doing Rubiks Cubes. Soon after the diagnosis, she sent me a set with 10 different cubes. There were a few crazy ones in there, it killed a lot of time. You spend a lot of time waiting in hospital, so then I always had a Cube on the go. I completed all of them in the end.”

Describe the moment you got the diagnosis – what were you able to hold on to?
“For me it was absolutely important that I stayed in Munich, in my day-to-day. It was great that FC Bayern extended my contract right away and said: Concentrate on getting healthy. I kept training and playing as normal, which restored my confidence in my body. At the start I thought: I must be really sick. Then I realised that wasn’t the case. I left the medical stuff completely to the doctors. I always felt I was in the best hands.”

Psychologically too?
“I really only had a few moments of doubt. I was full of confidence the whole time – also thanks to my family, my friends, the girls in the team. There was always someone there, I was never alone. Together we stayed positive and got through it collectively.”

How important was it for you not to be alone in this situation, having people around you?
“It was really good always having someone to talk to. Sometimes you don’t notice yourself when something is going in the wrong direction. I knew there are people looking out for me. My mum is a pastoral counsellor, so she has clinical pastoral training – and at the Campus I also had an important point of contact in our team psychologist Martin Walz. I could talk to him about anything as well. It was an ideal mix for me – medically, mentally and emotionally. I was never worried about losing myself.”

How did the club deal with your diagnosis?
“I really have to say, it was exemplary. None of us really knew at first how to deal with it. FC Bayern then handled it very calmly and discretely. Nothing got out, which was incredibly important for me. Everyone was always there for me and did their best to at least lighten the load, especially with the contract extension. I felt real support, which I’m very grateful for – as I am for the personal support of president Herbert Hainer, who got in touch straight away and constantly asked after me.”

Did you ever have any thoughts about retiring from football?
“I never seriously considered it. I only spoke about it once with my mum. In theory, I could’ve said at any time: That’s it, there are other things in life. It felt good to realise: it's my decision – and in my mind, I always knew I wasn’t done with football yet.”

Even before the cancer diagnosis, you’d battled illness: you had glandular fever, COVID-19, myocarditis...
“The tumor was obviously something else. I’m someone who always likes to know exactly why something is happening. With cancer that’s difficult. There’s no simple explanation, no clear cause, no virus that you can fight off. I thought a lot about what I’d done wrong, but eventually I understood: it just happened. I just thought of it as a lottery that I lost.”

When you got healthy again, you’d fallen behind in the pecking order. How do you approach that?
“Ena [Mahmutovic] and I are locked in a close battle for the shirt. She has her nose in front at the moment. I respect that, we have a good relationship. But it’s also clear that I’m going to do everything I can to be playing again. I see this situation as a chance to work hard on myself. I like training and developing step by step. But I also know after my cancer experience that my happiness in life doesn't depend on whether I'm in goal or not. That would be unhealthy.”

How is the Mala of today different to the Mala of a year ago?
“I always knew that I’m mentally strong and can work under pressure and deal with setbacks. But the past year has given me an added confidence. That phrase ‘Stay true to yourself’, which people sometimes smirk at – that strikes a chord now. I’ve realised: I’m fine the way I am. I can rely on myself. I’ve seen what I’m capable of.”

Do you have a message for people who are going through difficult times right now? It doesn’t have to be cancer, there are many kinds of burdens.
“I think the most important thing is that everyone should find their own way of dealing with it. There’s no right or wrong way. What other people do isn’t necessarily right for you. Role models are good, but you have to do it your own way and do what’s best for you. Throughout the process, it helped me to say to myself: This is all completely normal. I’d also pass that on.”

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