 Endler in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Claudia Christiane Endler Mutinelli[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1991-07-23)23 July 1991 (age 34) | ||
| Place of birth | Santiago,Chile[2] | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lyon | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2014 | South Florida Bulls | 38 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2009 | Unión La Calera | ||
| 2010 | Everton | ||
| 2011–2012 | Colo-Colo | ||
| 2014 | Chelsea | 3 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Colo-Colo | ||
| 2016–2017 | Valencia | 23 | (0) |
| 2017–2021 | Paris Saint-Germain | 52 | (0) |
| 2021– | Lyon | 68 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2008 | Chile U-20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2009–2023 | Chile | 104 | (0) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 April 2025 | |||
Claudia Christiane Endler Mutinelli (born 23 July 1991) is aChilean professionalfootballer who plays asgoalkeeper forPremière Ligue clubLyon. She has previously played forColo-Colo,Valencia,Paris Saint-Germain, and theUniversity of South Florida.
Endler is widely regarded as one of the best female goalkeepers in the world.[4][5][6][7] In all seasons from 2019 to 2022 she was among the three finalists nominated for Best Women's Goalkeeper at theBest FIFA Football Awards.[8][9] She won the award in 2021.[10]
Endler was born inSantiago, Chile, to a German father[11] and a Chilean mother with Italian ancestry.[12] From childhood, Endler showed talent for sports, playing tennis, swimming, hockey, basketball, volleyball and gymnastics before dedicating herself full time to football.[13][14] At 10 years old, she went to her first football club, Stadio Italiano, and as a teenager she attended a German high school where she started to get formal football training.[11][15] Throughout her youth, she played as a forward, but when she was 15, Endler had trials with the Chile U17 national team.[16] Because of her height, former Chilean goalkeeper and then-coachMarco Cornez advised her to switch her position to goalkeeper.[13] At 17 years old, she started playing semi-professionally withUnión La Calera's women's team. She spent two years with the club where she finished fifth and sixth in the league table, respectively.[14]
During the2011 Pan American Games, she was recruited to play in the United States for theD1University of South FloridaBulls.[14] After three years of playing semi-professionally in Chile, Endler departed the country in July 2011 to attend college for two years.[2] She was enrolled on a scholarship and at first studied physical education, but switched her major to instead study Business Administration.[14][17] It was there that she learned English.[18] In 2012, she started all 19 games and throughout the season recorded 83 saves with an .847 (84.7%) save percentage. She also recorded nineshutouts and was namedBig East goalkeeper of the week twice and Big East freshman of the week once. In 2013 she was named to the second team for theAAC and was named AAC goalkeeper of the week three times. That same season she had an .806 (80.6%) save percentage and a career-high 87 saves for the season.[19] In 2014, she helped lead the Bulls to a regular season conference championship.
During her fall break in 2012,Colo-Colo were playing the Copa Libertadores, so she very briefly went on loan to compete in the beginning stages of the tournament.[14]
In 2009, Endler participated in the first ever edition of theCopa Libertadores Femenina. In 2010, Endler reached her first everCopa Libertadores final withEverton de Viña del Mar, where she would playSantos, a team that contacted her to play the year before.[14] Everton was the first ever Chilean team to make the final of an international women's tournament. Endler held off the tournament's most effective attack for most of the match, but conceded in the 89th minute. Santos won 1-0 and took the title, their second in a row.[20]
In 2011, after impressing at the previous year's Copa America, she was signed to Chilean teamColo-Colo.[18] In 2011, Endler participated in her second consecutive and Colo-Colo's first Copa Libertadores final, where they fell toSão José Esporte Clube.[21] The following month in June, she announced her departure from Colo-Colo, opting to go to theUnited States and pursue a college education.[22]
In 2012, while still in college, Endler took advantage of her brief fall break to participate in her third Libertadores final in a row. Luckily for her, the match went to penalties after regulation time. Endler had anticipated the probability of a penalty shootout and reviewed strategy with her coach the day before.[14] To end the shootout, she stopped the final penalty and won her firstCopa Libertadores title. Along with Santos, Colo-Colo became the only other club to win both the Men's and Women's Copa Libertadores.[23] Chilean publication Dale Albo cites this victory as a turning point for women's football in Chile, allowing other women's clubs to establish themselves and find success in the tournament.[24]
In 2014, Endler was signed byChelsea. She made herWSL Cup debut in a 5-1 win againstWatford and was in goal for another WSL Cup againstMillwall.[25] Endler was having a convincing start to her season, but due to the newfound intensity of training and workouts, she began feeling discomfort in her knee that developed into a season-ending rupturedmeniscus injury. Chelsea offered to extend Endler's contract, but she believed the contract didn't offer enough to sustain the expensive cost of living inEngland.[18] After playing only 3 games in the WSL that season, she returned to Chile for a year to rediscover her love for football.[11]
Following her exit from England, she came back to Chile, where her options were to go toSantiago Morning or return toColo-Colo. She ended up returning to Colo-Colo.[18] It was with Colo-Colo where she regained her confidence, winning the Campeonato Apertura and returning to her fourth Copa Libertadores final in 2015.[26]
The following season, she was signed byValencia.[27][2] In week 24 of the season, she was awarded player of the week for her clean sheet performance againstSanta Teresa CD. By the end of the2016-2017 season, Valencia conceded the fewest goals in theleague and finished third overall, qualifying for the2017 Copa de la Reina de Fútbol. She was awarded theZamora Trophy for conceding only 11 goals throughout the league campaign. She was the first foreign player in thePrimera División to receive the award.[28] She also was named to La Liga's team of the season by a fan vote of 5,400.[29]
Her performances with Valencia attracted the attention ofParis Saint-Germain, and in July 2017, Endler signed a three-year contract with the French club. The transfer was Valencia's first involving money, valued at 30,000Euros.[30] She officially debuted in theleague for PSG in a 1-0 win againstASPTT Albi. After sharing goalkeeping duties withKatarzyna Kiedrzynek for the first half of the season, she started every league game in the second half of the season. Her only loss as a starter that season came against rivalsLyon.[31] At the end of the2017–18 Division 1 Féminine, PSG finished in second place, 8 points behind Lyon. Endler conceded just five goals and recorded sevenshutouts in 11 matches for that campaign.[31] She signed a contract extension later in 2018 that continued to June 2021.[32]
Endler had a decisive performance in the 2018Coupe de France Féminine final, making important saves againstShanice van de Sanden andDzsenifer Marozsán. PSG won the match 1-0 and earned their second ever major trophy, breaking Lyon's streak of six consecutiveCoupe de France Féminine titles.[33] By the end of the2018-2019 season, Endler conceded just 13 goals in 20 games, maintained the second-best defense in theFrench league, and was voted the best keeper of the French league in 2019.[34]
Their second-place league finish in 2018 meant Endler was set to make herChampion's League debut the following season. Her debut came in the Round of 32 against Austrian teamSKN ST Pölten, where PSG won the match 4-1 and won the tie 6-1 on aggregate.[35] Endler'sfirst Champions League campaign ended in a cruel fashion, where she conceded a 91st minute goal fromMaren Mjelde and lost the quarterfinal tie to her former club, Chelsea.[36]
For her performances with PSG and Chile, she received the second-most votes for 2019The Best FIFA Goalkeeper awards behindDutch goalkeeperSari van Veenendaal.[37]
On 9 August 2020, Endler saved a penalty fromEugénie Le Sommer during the shootout that decided the2020 Coupe de France but subsequently missed one that she took as PSG ultimately lost toLyon.[38]
Endler and PSG dominated the 2020-21 season, finishing undefeated with 20 victories and 2 draws; Endler allowed her opponents only 4 goals the entire season. PSG dethronedLyon's 14-year run of championships, securing PSG's first-ever title inFrench league on 4 June 2021, the final day of the domestic season.
Shortly thereafter, Endler announced she would not renew her contract with PSG. In January 2022, she was named 2021 Women's Goalkeeper of the Year at the annualFIFA Awards Ceremony.
On 21 June 2021,Lyon announced the signing of Endler to a three-year contract. With Endler served as the goalkeeper, the French giant won the2022 UEFA Women's Champions League Final by beatingBarcelona 3–1, making her the first-ever Chilean to win the Women's Champions League.[39]
In 2008, Endler participated in the first ever edition of theU17 Copa America Femenina, hosted in Chile. She was a regular starter, playing all four games of Chile's campaign as they finished third in Group A with five points and exited the tournament.
Endler's second international tournament experience came as a 17-year-old when Chile hosted the2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Prior to the tournament, her starting position was disputed between her and then-Colo-Colo goalkeeperRomina Parraguirre.[40][41] Endler ended up establishing herself as a starter and played every minute of each of Chile's three group stage matches.[42] Chile finished last in their group and 14th overall, but Endler impressed enough to make the Team of the Tournament.[42]
Ten years later, in an interview withFIFA, Endler said that the tournament was crucial in her decision to dedicate her life to football.[13]
Before that championship I'd never imagined that I could play the game professionally, but it was thanks to that tournament that I realised there was a whole different world out there, that women's football was growing outside Chile.
Her final international youth tournament experience would come in the2010 U20 Copa America Femenina, where Endler found greater success. She conceded just two goals in the four-round group stage as she moved onto the knockout rounds of an international tournament for the first time in her career. Chile were defeated 3-1 byBrazil in the semifinals and 6-0 byParaguay in the third place match, giving them a fourth place overall finish in the tournament.
Endler's international debut forChile's senior team came against Mexico on November 11, 2009, when she was 18.[16]
At the2010 Copa America, Chile finished in third place, their best since 1995, but still did not qualify for either the2011 World Cup or the2012 Olympics. They did, however, qualify for the2011 Pan American Games. Endler won goalkeeper of the tournament.[18] At next year'sPan American Games, Endler conceded only one goal in three games, but Chile only recorded 4 points, exiting the tournament in the group stage.
For the2014 Copa America, Chile went into the tournament with zero preparation matches and subsequently finished fourth in Group B, where they did not qualify for any upcoming competitive international tournaments.[43]
Throughout the 2010s, there were many times the Chile women's national team did not have official games scheduled, prompting FIFA to deem them inactive and strip the team of theirFIFA ranking. In 2011,Chile federation presidentHarold Mayne-Nicholls resigned, which Endler believes was a turn for the worse for women's football in Chile. His successor,Sergio Jadue, who was later banned for life by theFIFA Ethics Committee due to his participation in the2015 FIFA corruption case, completely neglected women's football in Chile. The Chile women's national team was forced to play in "deplorable conditions' and train with teenage boys.[26] Under Jadue's successor,Arturo Salah, the team received no information about new matches between 2015 and 2017.[44]
In 2016, Chile dropped out of theFIFA rankings again, just a year after achieving their best ranking of 41 in 2015. Former footballer and Chilean internationalIona Rothfeld, Endler, and a few other Chilean teammates created the ANJUFF (Asociación Nacional de Jugadoras de Fútbol), a Chilean women's footballingunion to combat neglect from their federation.[45] ANJUFF received recognition from Chile's athletic unions andFIFPro, and was one of the first efforts to unionize female athletes in Latin America.[44] Chile made their competitive return in May 2017, where Endler captained her side to a triumphant 12-0 win overPeru.[46]
In 2018, thanks to the efforts of ANJUFF,[44] Chile hosted the2018 Copa América Femenina. Endler captained her side to a second-place finish in Group A, only letting in 2 goals in 5 games. In thefinal stage, Chile came in second behind Brazil, becoming runners-up in the tournament and qualifying them for their first everFIFA Women's World Cup. With this finish, Chile would be also be given the chance to qualify for the2020 Olympics in aCAF-CONMEBOL qualification playoff. Endler has criticized theCONMEBOL qualifying format, where thequadrennial competition determines qualification for three separate competitions- theFIFA Women's World Cup, theOlympics, and thePan-American Games.[47]
At the2019 Women's World Cup, Endler was the captain and highest capped player on Chile's roster. She played every minute of Chile's three group stage matches, making thirteen total saves. In the second group match, Chile played number 1 rankedUSWNT who had twenty-six attempts on goal and 9 on target throughout the match.[48] Endler made six saves and despite conceding three goals, her performances against the eventual tournament winners earned herself a Player of the Match award and garnered international attention.[49] In the final match of the group stage with Round of 16 qualification on the line, Chile playedThailand who, a week before, suffered the highest ever margin of defeat in aWorld Cup tournament, men or women. Endler recorded ashutout in that match, helping her team to their first ever win in a World Cup tournament.[50] Chile finished third inGroup F and very narrowly exited the tournament by not having enough points nor a high enough goal-difference to be one of the third placed teams that could qualify for the Round of 16.[50] Endler questioned Chile coachJosé Letelier's decisions in the match against Thailand, saying in a post-match interview that she expected players with more experience to get more game time.[51]
In September 2019, Endler won her first title with Chile, the 2019Torneo Internacional Femenino de Sao Paulo friendly championship. In the final, they drew withBrazil and in extra time defeated them on penalties, where Endler saved the first penalty, missed a penalty that she took, and then saved another. This was Chile's first time in 13 matches against Brazil where they didn't lose.[52] Endler did not concede a single goal throughout the tournament.[53]
On 13 April 2021, Chile became the final women's team to qualify for the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics by defeating Cameroon in a pair of matches held in Ankara, Turkey due to COVID travel restrictions.
On 21 April 2021, Chile was drawn into Group E where they will face Great Britain, Canada, and host nation Japan in their round-robin matches on 21/24/27 July 2021; Endler will captain.
She made four appearances at the2023 Pan American Games,[54] where Chile won the silver medal.[55] At the end of the semi-final match against theUnited States, she announced her retirement from the national team.[56]
In the officialFIFA report for the2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup she was listed as one of Chile's standout players, describing her as a "complete, solid all-round goalkeeper with commanding presence, good basic technique who starts build-up play quickly."[42]
After her performance against theUSWNT, well-respected American soccer journalistGrant Wahl called her performance "astonishing," saying that "Christen Press will see (Endler) in her nightmares."[57] FormerUnited States goalkeeperHope Solo described her as "spectacular," "one-in-a-million," and "strong, powerful and quick with excellent positioning ...her ability to read the aerial balls is also top notch. She is a complete goalkeeper."[58]
Endler holds both Chilean and German citizenship,[59] and can speak Spanish, Portuguese, English, German and a bit of French.
Due to her German and Italian heritage, her hero and idol as a child was Germanfootballer and formerBayern Munich goalkeeperOliver Kahn and Italian former goalkeeperGianluigi Buffon. Nevertheless, she doesn't speak Italian. She also admiredIker Casillas.[17] She cites her biggest inspiration as her brother, who instilled a passion for football in her since a young age and pushed her to become a goalkeeper.[17][11]
Endler has expressed her support for the2019–20 Chilean protests, saying onInstagram that she was "proud to see it."[60]
She married Sofía Orozco, who is the daughter of the Chilean singerCristóbal [es] (stage name of Marco Antonio Orozco),[61] in France in May 2021.[62][63]
South Florida Bulls
Everton
Colo-Colo
Paris Saint-Germain
Lyon
Chile
Individual
In 2018, Endler was named toThe Guardian's list of top 100 women footballers in the world for the first time, ranking at 52 as the second-best goalkeeper on the list.[77] The same year, theIFFHS voted her as the sixth-best goalkeeper in the world.[78]
For her outstanding play against theUnited States during the2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, she was voted Player of the Match.[79] Following the match, legendary goalkeeperHope Solo went on record to say that Endler "sets the bar very high" and "she shows what goalkeeping should be." She also referred to a quote made by Chelsea coachEmma Hayes that women should have smaller pitches and goals. Solo cited Endler as an example of why that sentiment is "unbelievable."[58] FormerUSMNT defenderAlexi Lalas titled her "the best in the world."[57]Paraguay goalkeeperJosé Luis Chilavert also acclaimed Endler as the best female goalkeeper in the world, praising her charisma, confidence and leadership.[80] Later in the year, she was voted the fifth-best women's goalkeeper of 2019 byIFFHS, behindSari van Veenendaal,Sarah Bouhaddi,Alyssa Naeher andHedvig Lindahl.[81] In their brief profile of her, IFFHS predicted that she had the potential to be the best goalkeeper in the world in later years.[82][83] Endler was also a nominee for the 2019FIFPRO FIFA Women's World 11.[84]
In 2019,The Guardian listed her as the twenty-fourth best player and second-best goalkeeper in the world in their annual list of the top 100 players, going up 28 ranks from the previous year's list.[85][86]
Then in 2020,The Guardian listed her as the twenty-second best female player and best female goalkeeper in the world in their annual list of the top 100 players.[87]
In January 2022, she was named the 2021 Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper.[10]
Chile squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Men's winners
| |
