From the garages to the big world of football: Klara Bühl's inspiring story

The shooting lane where the girl had always kicked her ball at the garage door was suddenly somewhat obstructed. The city had dumped a container nearby. "The direct route was blocked – so the ball had to go around it," says Klara Bühl. It wasn't a coach that hindered her playing football, it was a parked container. It didn’t stop Bühl, though; it simply forced her to improvise and be creative. She learned the art of dribbling, which has made her one of the most technically gifted players in Europe today.

There was someone else in front of the garage door: Klara’s big brother. A year older and normally a rather involuntary goalkeeper. “From the beginning I emulated a lot of things from my brother,” she explains. She got into football through him. As so often, it all started with watching, running and joining in with someone. First it was the big brother, then the fascination, then the ambition not just to keep up but to become better.

Mr Wembley as idol

As she grew up, the role models started to come less from the family and more from the big stadiums: Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben. The Dutchman in particular fascinated her. Of course he did, because ‘Mr Wembley’ was a player of controlled repetition. Everyone knew his sequence: ball at his feet, cut inside and then shoot towards the far corner. And yet it never got boring. Bühl studied these movements in detail. “I always watched Robben and Ribéry videos on YouTube.”

She then trained this precise movement pattern on the street outside her parents’ house – where the angle allowed, where the container already forced her to think in curves. "I practised that curling shot for days," she recalls. Years later, you can sometimes see it when she cuts inside, the ball at her feet, and sets herself up for the curler. The fans have noticed this too, of course, comparing Bühl to Robben. Her movements can be anticipated by opponents, too, yet they can hardly ever control them.

Accelerator with method

Bühl has long been more than a classic wide player. She’s an accelerator, a driving force, a player who causes chaos with method. Whenever Bayern have shone going forward this season, she’s normally been at the heart of it. Ten goals and 22 assists in 33 appearances for club and country: numbers that put her among the best not just nationally but also internationally. She’s been particularly excellent as a provider this season. And maybe that’s not an accident, because if you ask her whether she prefers to score herself or set up, Bühl considers briefly and goes for the assist, with a laugh.

“The output is the same,” she says dryly. The logic of a player who doesn’t see football as a stage. Then comes the explanation that suits her so perfectly: "When it comes to scoring goals, I need to score a few more so that I also know how to celebrate a little.”

A good mix of ambition & easiness

Why are things going so well right now? Why does Bühl, in a team that were crowned champions very early, were only stopped by probably the best team in Europe in the semi-finals of the Champions League and are in the DFB Cup final, seem more complete, steadier and more dominant than ever before this season? “I think it’s because I’ve found a good mix between a certain ambition but also an easiness,” explains the winger. Performance is often described as the consequence of maximum control: toughness, discipline, perfection. For Bühl, just like back then as a girl in the garage yard, it's still primarily about one thing: the joy of playing football. “I go onto the pitch and just have fun. I know what I can do.” She’s not running up against expectations, but has arrived at her potential. She’s found the ideal balance: not too serious, not too relaxed.

A ‘really awesome day’

On Thursday it’s the DFB Cup final in Cologne, a fixture that enjoys special status in German women’s football. “It’s always a really awesome day: the fans, the atmosphere, the families there, the shared experience. It’s just very, very lively.” While the bread and butter of the league is routine, the cup has its own unique thrill. More exceptions to the rules. More feeling. “When the team bus drives into the stadium and the people outside are flocking to the arena, it’s just special.”

The encounter with VfL Wolfsburg in the final is a story of its own. The She-Wolves have become almost synonymous with the competition, with 11 cups in their trophy cabinet. “The cup still belongs to Wolfsburg,” acknowledges Bühl. That may be changing, though. Bayern travel to Cologne as the holders and as league winners four years running. And with expectations. “This season is already outstanding,” adds Bühl. Bundesliga, Champions League semi-finals, Supercup win last August – and now the chance to top it off with victory in the cup.

This particular final also has stories of its own. For one, it’s likely to be the last cup final in the career of Wolfsburg legend Alexandra Popp, who is leaving the club at the end of the season. “You can only admire what Alex Popp has achieved,” says Bühl about her long-time Germany teammate. “Nevertheless, I’m not going to let her have the title now.” She wants to win the cup herself. It would be FCB Women’s first ever cup success against Wolfsburg.

From the girl with dreams on the garage yard to an international player at FC Bayern. From containers to cup finals. She hinted she wouldn’t be against scoring a goal. Well, she’s still got a bit of time to finally think of her own goal celebration.

Shared history – these players have played for both Wolfsburg and FCB Women: