Football European Championship: Even without crocheted mascot: Klara Bühl storms ahead

Three days before the first game at the European Football Championship, Klara Bühl truly had more important things to do than give an interview again. At the national striker, between the training units, the oral examination of the bachelor thesis of her media management studies was due – in front of the screen in the team hotel from Zurich. The 24-year-old from FC Bayern was full on the lawn.

“People, then pull inwards, shoot directly. And in the best case goal,” left left wing Bühl describes her typical move. The Munich native is still waiting for her first tournament goal, but stands out among the German footballers after two games. And could become a guarantee of success of the eight -time title winner.

“Bearing responsibility – on and off the square”

“I think we have now really seen what important role Klara has in this team with her dynamics, with her power, with her one-on-one situations,” says DFB sports director Nia Künzer before the last group game against Sweden on Saturday (9:00 p.m./ZDF and DAZN) in Zurich. “She is not in the captain’s role or something now. But I think she shows in her way that she is responsible – on and off the square,” added Künzer.

Christian Wück also appreciates this, who has already seen a lot as an ex-professional and as a world champion maker of the male U17. And: “I don’t know anyone who is as two.

The currently injured DFB captain Giulia Gwinn recently explained to the question of who had the toughest shot in the team: “Klara Bühl-with both feet.”

In the 2-1 against Denmark, Bühl received the trophy for the best player. “Today I just enjoyed standing on the pitch with the girls. I had a lot of promotions. And I think I am refueling with every action,” she said with her typical bright smile.

Bavaria is building on the foreign striker by 2027

“Your kind is just very positive, her charisma. That helps the team,” says Künzer. “Although she is not that old yet, she is already one of the more experienced and pretends to be oriented. We saw how it went.”

At Bayern, Bühl extended its contract until 2027 in March, but was also under discussion at FC Barcelona. “It makes me proud that such a club is interested,” said the former Freiburg native at the time. “I have to admit, I thought about it one time or another.”

Bühl stands against Sweden before her 70th international (so far 28 goals). The European Championship is already its fifth international tournament, for the first time it was at the 2019 World Cup. She has rather bad memories of the EM 2022 in England – Bühl braked Corona before the semi -finals and finals. “I was sitting alone in the hotel room. It was incredibly bitter and was also a week that I don’t need again,” she told the ARD sports show.

It is now all the more motivated in Switzerland. “You want to bring your strengths, have impact. That was taken away from me at the last European Championship. And I hope that this time I can help the team from start to finish,” says the Olympic bronze medalist.

Children’s book, but not a mascot

At the 2023 World Cup in Australia and at the summer games 2024 in France, Bühl was also in focus because of their handicraft skills, especially on social media. She crocheted the mascot: the Koala Waru and the Otter Ottiene.

Before the European Championship, Bühl, who also published a children’s book from the “Sportstars tell” series, had dispensed with such an action. The concentration was the bachelor thesis – and of course primarily football.

By studying a large share of business administration, the foreign striker feels “broadly positioned” for the future. Incidentally, the topic of their examination is: the marketing options for professional footballers.