 Keßler playing for Germany atUEFA Women's Euro 2013 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1988-04-04)4 April 1988 (age 37) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Landstuhl,West Germany | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| SV Herschberg | |||||||||||||||||
| SV Hermersberg | |||||||||||||||||
| SC Weselberg | |||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2009 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 52 | (37) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam | 34 | (19) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2016 | VfL Wolfsburg | 58 | (31) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 144 | (87) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Germany U15 | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Germany U17 | 15 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Germany U19 | 23 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Germany U20 | 10 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2016 | Germany | 29 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Nadine Keßler (German pronunciation:[naˈdiːnˈkɛslɐ];[1][2] born 4 April 1988) is a German retiredfootballer and currentUEFA's head of women's football.[3] She played forVfL Wolfsburg and theGerman national team.[4] Keßler was the recipient of theFIFA World Player of the Year award at the2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or.
Born inLandstuhl, Keßler was raised in nearbyWeselberg, where she attended kindergarten and primary school. As a youth, she began playing for boys clubs[5] SV Herschberg, SV Hermersberg, and SC Weselberg.[6] At the age of 16, she began playing for the female team1. FC Saarbrücken in the second division.[5] From 2006 to 2007, she was the team's leading scorer.[7]
After graduating from high school in 2007, Keßler began basic training in theBundeswehr in October 2007. She was stationed in a sports promotion group at the Bundeswehr Sports School in Warendorf and held the rank of Corporal. She also attended the German University for Prevention and Health Management (DHfPG) where she received aBachelor of Arts inHealth Economics in 2012. In 2014, she enrolled in the MBA program at DHfPG.[5]
Keßler signed with1. FFC Turbine Potsdam in the top-divisionFrauen Bundesliga in 2009 at the age of 21.[7] She helped the team finish the regular season at the top of the league table with a19–1–2 record scoring 11 goals.[8] The team clinched the2009–10 UEFA Women's Champions League after defeatingOlympique Lyonnais in penalty kicks.[9]
In 2011, Keßler transferred toVfL Wolfsburg.[10] The team finished second during the2011–12 regular season with a18–2–2 record. Keßler scored 11 goals tying for fourth in the league for most goals scored.[11]
During the2012–13 season, Keßler scored eight goals helping Wolfsburg finish first during the regular season with a17–3–2 record.[12] She captained the team to win the2012–13 UEFA Champions League after defeating Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 in the final.[13]
In 2014, Keßler led Wolfsburg to championships in theFrauen Bundesliga andUEFA Women's Champions League.[14] Wolfsburg became the first German team in the history to win the treble of Frauen-Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal Frauen and the renamed UEFA Women's Champions League.[5] Keßler was awarded theUEFA Best Women's Player in Europe Award.[15] She was awarded theFIFA Player of the Year award in January 2015 having received 17.52% of the vote overMarta (14.16%) andAbby Wambach (13.33%).[14] Upon receiving the award, she said, "It's a reward for hard work, good performances and a good development track. I know it's a trophy for individuals, but I'd never have won it without my teammates."[16]
She signed a new one-year contract on 12 May 2015.[17] She announced her retirement on 14 April 2016.[18]
Keßler represented Germany at the youth level on the under-15, 17, 19, and 20 teams from 2003 to 2008. She made her debut for thesenior national team at the2010 Algarve Cup on 26 February 2010 in a match againstFinland after coming on as a 46th-minute substitute forLena Goeßling and scoring her first international goal in the 77th minute.[19]
Keßler played attacking midfielder for Germany during the2013 UEFA Women's Euro helping the team win their sixth consecutive trophy with a 1–0 win overNorway.[20]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 February 2010 | Parchal, Portugal |  Finland | 6–0 | 7–0 | 2010 Algarve Cup |
| 2 | 13 February 2013 | Strasbourg, France |  France | 2–3 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| 3 | 3–3 | |||||
| 4 | 11 March 2013 | Lagos, Portugal |  Norway | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2013 Algarve Cup |
| 5 | 21 September 2013 | Cottbus, Germany |  Russia | 2–0 | 9–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 8–0 | |||||
| 7 | 23 November 2013 | Žilina, Slovakia |  Slovakia | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 4–0 | |||||
| 9 | 12 March 2014 | Faro, Portugal |  Japan | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2014 Algarve Cup |
| 10 | 8 May 2014 | Osnabrück, Germany | Slovakia | 4–0 | 9–1 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
1. FC Saarbrücken
1. FFC Turbine Potsdam
VfL Wolfsburg
Germany
Individual
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Awards | |||||||
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