Overview
- In an interview published Thursday, the 35-year-old former Germany captain said the national team has leaned on fight and discipline instead of playing high-quality, technical football.
- She urged clubs and the German FA to work more closely and to invest more in youth training to raise the team’s level of play.
- Popp said the federation had rested on past success and failed to develop enough top prospects, noting fewer clear national-team talents in recent age groups.
- She will leave Wolfsburg at season’s end after 14 years to join Borussia Dortmund, a second-division side chasing promotion, in a move that underscores gaps in club infrastructure and ambition.
- Her comments followed Bayern Munich’s fourth straight women’s league title on Wednesday, which she said exposed rivals’ slower investment and left the league less competitive.