Lea Schüller: The DFB striker is a master of efficiency

For a good mood among the German footballers, not only are the nice weather, the wonderful panorama and the piekfeine teamhotel in Zurich, but also Julius Balsmeier. Balsmeier recently came up with a lot to come to laughter on the training ground in the sports center of Buchlern.

The fitness trainer, who sometimes makes legs in a strict voice, had divided the team into groups before the third group game against Sweden (Saturday 9:00 p.m., ZDF), who are all on one leg at the end of an exercise and should take a player piggyback. Funny shotguns formed – and the slowest group still had to make push -ups.

The message of the warm -up program: it only works together, even if not everything looks great. So far, this European Championship has not yet been a soccer revelation of the German team-this is a big difference to that tournament three years ago when the DFB women laid the foundation for second place at the European Championship in England with a playful brilliant performance against Denmark (4: 0) and a tactical masterpiece against Spain (2-0).

Now the first appearances against Poland (2-0) and Denmark (2: 1) were more “mentality wins”, as Christian Wück said. The national coach praise will and passion, these are the virtues of a national team. No matter whether women or men. And then of course Lea Schüller praised the former Bundesliga professional. His exceptional figure at the forefront. Not to be seen in the first two games, but always there when it was needed. The attacker from FC Bayern each scored the important second goal.

And that without being celebrated. “I was alone in front of the goal. I just have to insert. That was a strong team performance,” said the 27-year-old on Tuesday evening in St. Jakob Park of Basel about her 54th international goal in the 77th DFB mission. “Lea has an incredible quota,” praised sports director Nia Künzer, and Schüller also brought in a “great added value” as a type. None that only looks at themselves, but primarily thinks of team success.

Wück noticed that he was able to dream of such a goal quota. “That makes a striker to see that she is relatively little to see and is there when we need her.” He also did not hide the fact that he actually wanted to change his center striker against the Danish. In the first half, schoolchildren did not have a single ball contact in the opposing penalty area.

“I think she realizes when we think about replacing her. Then she just scores a goal – and then goes out.” Ultimately, Wück also knew that in Switzerland it also reliably “shadows” (she likes the verbal hearing of your name based on the club saint Thomas Müller) can still be important in the tournament.

Since the 2023 World Cup, Schüller has already scored 22 hits in 27 national sielen. The consistency of shooting the gate is a trademark of the 1.73 meter tall attacker. The greatest strength is its versatility: it meets either with right, left or head. Sometimes a portion could still do more assertiveness.

German women’s football has always achieved its greatest successes with reliable Torganists: Pioneer Heidi Mohr was only there, then the legend Birgit Prinz, later Anja Mittag, Inka Grings, Célia Šašić or Alexandra Popp. Everything goal scorers with a formative influence.

Popp had made sure that Schüller flew somewhat under the radar in recent years. Anyone who asked her at the media day in Herzogenaurach that she was now number one striker got a clear answer: “I also played at the last European Championship from the beginning, then got Corona and luckily we had Poppi who directed it.”

The constant comparisons do not annoy them, but she defends herself against a superficial consideration: In fact, three years ago, she had been ranked in terms of the DFB women’s playing at the DFB women three years ago. In the opening game of the EM 2022 against Denmark, she stood in the starting eleven before caught the Corona virus in the district in Brentford. Only then was the way for the Popp Festival paved on the island.

“We are so different – nothing has changed for me,” says Schüller. But do not distinguish both of them an enormous header? “I think that’s our only thing together.”

Popp helped the team with her physique. I made balls – or determined. “I am a player who lives from the speed that goes down,” says Schüller. “I have now also learned variability.” And what she also wants to say: “I am a completely different guy.” Not the captain to whom everyone – including the public – clinging to find a stop.

At the 2023 World Cup, the then national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg had tried to act with a double tip before Horst Hrubesch shifted the captain Popp on the central defensive midfield at Olympia. Schüller welcomes that a national coach who used to play in her position himself is again in charge with Wück. But that’s why she doesn’t get extra tips.

“I like Christian’s style of playing that we are more offensive as a team,” says Schüller. “We make a lot of deeper pressing than we did with Horst. We give the opponent the ball to play our speed at the front of all positions.”

Hardly any competitor, apart from Spain and France, has such an offensive quality as the DFB team. “We can switch and change as we want and know: there is no end to goal,” says Schüller.

It gets over better in long conversations than in short interviews in front of the camera. She also talked very openly about her relationship with the sailor Lara Vadlau for many years. Both separated after four and a half years in November 2023, but this only became public with some delay. The relationship was increasingly burdened by the challenges of their everyday work, Vadlau said in the summer of 2024 in the podcast “Breakfast with me” of the Austrian radio: “We may have seen each other two or three days a month.” Schüller was often traveling when she came home herself. Vadlau had decided to return to professional sports as a sailor: “She said she suffered so much that we never see each other. Whenever I pack my suitcases, be it like a separation.” Ultimately, both pulled a line to focus on their sporty careers.

For Schüller there would be options away from football. She studied industrial engineering at a Fernuni and completed internships. “I could not imagine studying sports. In addition to football, I couldn’t imagine studying sports in addition to football,” she said once. “Sometimes the course is really challenging.” Does she work in the job at some point? After all, it is in every job advertisement that work is necessary. Schüller: “But how can you get it when you have just studied – and then in his mid -30s?” The fact is: even Germany’s best striker did not take care of the career.

She still remembers her first Bundesliga content well: 450 euros a month. Like many other internationals, the footballer from Tönisvorst in North Rhine-Westphalia started at SGS Essen. Linda Dallmann, Elisa Sense or the currently injured Lena Oberdorf also benefited from the training in Essen-Schönebeck.

Schüller switched to FC Bayern in 2020, won championship and cup this season. In Munich it is still under contract until 2026. An extension could be expensive for their qualities – especially if it uses the shop window in Switzerland. And that club colleague Sydney Lohmann has just announced her switch to Manchester City could be a dough that top clubs from England, France and Spain have long since had them on their notes.