Birgit Prinz
Encyclopedia
Birgit Prinz is a former German
female professional association football player. She last played for 1. FFC Frankfurt
and the German national team
. Prinz is one of the game's most prolific strikers and the FIFA Women's World Cup
all-time leading scorer with 14 goals (tied with Marta). She has been named FIFA World Player of the Year
in 2003, 2004 and 2005. On 12 August 2011, she announced the end of her active career.
debut for FSV Frankfurt
, where she played from 1992 to 1998. During that time Prinz won two Bundesliga titles and two German Cups. In 1997 and 1998 she was the Bundesliga top scorer. In 1998, she moved to local rivals 1. FFC Frankfurt
, where she has had her biggest success at club level. In 13 seasons at the club, Prinz won six Bundesliga and eight German Cup titles. She also won the Bundesliga top-scorer award twice more in 2001 and 2007. Prinz won the UEFA Women's Cup three times with Frankfurt, in the 2001–02, 2005–06 and 2007–08 seasons. She also reached the final in 2004, but lost to the Swedish
side Umeå IK
.
For one season, Prinz joined Carolina Courage
in the professional women's league WUSA
in the United States. During her short stint in America she claimed the 2002 WUSA Championship. After the 2003 World Cup, Prinz declined an offer from AC Perugia
to play in Italy's men's Serie A
, fearing her transfer would be used as a publicity stunt and she would end up on the bench.
In her time at FFC Frankfurt, Prinz has won many personal awards, including a record eight German Female Footballer of the Year
awards from 2001 to 2008. She was named the FIFA World Player of the Year
in 2003, 2004 and 2005. For four consecutive years from 2007 to 2010 she also came second, behind Brazil's Marta.
in July 1994 against Canada. She came on after 72 minutes and scored the game-winner in the 89th minute. One year later, she won her first major title at the 1995 European Championship, scoring in the final. That year she was also part of Germany's squad coming second at the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup. In final against Norway she became the youngest player ever to appear in a World Cup Final.
For the next decade, Prinz has had one of the most successful international careers in women's football. She won four more UEFA European Championship
s in 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2009. At the Summer Olympics
she won bronze three times with the German team, in 2000
, 2004
and 2008
. At the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Prinz helped Germany win its first World Cup title in the women's game. She was honoured as the tournament's best player and top-scorer. Four years later at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup she captained the team to Germany's second World Cup title; she was awarded the Silver Ball as the second-best player at the tournament.
Prinz holds several national and international records. With 14 goals, she is the all-time leading goalscorer at FIFA Women's World Cup
s. At the Summer Olympics
Prinz and Brazil's Cristiane have both scored the tournament record of 10 goals. For the German national team Prinz has appeared 212 times and scored 128 goals. She is the team's most capped player and top goalscorer, and is also the most capped non-American player in the sport.
at the University of Frankfurt.
1. FFC Frankfurt
Carolina Courage
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
female professional association football player. She last played for 1. FFC Frankfurt
1. FFC Frankfurt
1. FFC Frankfurt is a German women's association football club based in Frankfurt, Hesse and has a membership of about 430. The team currently plays in the German first division women's Bundesliga.- History :...
and the German national team
Germany women's national football team
The German women's national football team represents Germany in international women's football and is directed by the German Football Association . The team – informally called West Germany in English – played its first international match in 1982...
. Prinz is one of the game's most prolific strikers and the FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
all-time leading scorer with 14 goals (tied with Marta). She has been named FIFA World Player of the Year
FIFA World Player of the Year
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
in 2003, 2004 and 2005. On 12 August 2011, she announced the end of her active career.
Club
Prinz began her career at SV Dörnigheim FC. She made her BundesligaFußball-Bundesliga (women)
The Women's Football Bundesliga is the main league competition for women's football in Germany. In 1990 the German Football Association created the German Women's Bundesliga, based on the model of the men's Bundesliga. It was first played with north and south divisions, but in 1997 the groups...
debut for FSV Frankfurt
FSV Frankfurt
FSV Frankfurt is a German association football club based in the Bornheim district of Frankfurt am Main, Hesse and founded in 1899. The club plays in the shadow of larger and much more successful Eintracht Frankfurt, which has recently returned to 2nd tier football...
, where she played from 1992 to 1998. During that time Prinz won two Bundesliga titles and two German Cups. In 1997 and 1998 she was the Bundesliga top scorer. In 1998, she moved to local rivals 1. FFC Frankfurt
1. FFC Frankfurt
1. FFC Frankfurt is a German women's association football club based in Frankfurt, Hesse and has a membership of about 430. The team currently plays in the German first division women's Bundesliga.- History :...
, where she has had her biggest success at club level. In 13 seasons at the club, Prinz won six Bundesliga and eight German Cup titles. She also won the Bundesliga top-scorer award twice more in 2001 and 2007. Prinz won the UEFA Women's Cup three times with Frankfurt, in the 2001–02, 2005–06 and 2007–08 seasons. She also reached the final in 2004, but lost to the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
side Umeå IK
Umeå IK
Umeå IK is a prominent women's association football club based in the city of Umeå, Sweden. The club was established in 1917 as a general sports club, and started competing in women's in 1985. In 1996 the team reached the premier division, the Damallsvenskan but was relegated the following year. In...
.
For one season, Prinz joined Carolina Courage
Carolina Courage
Carolina Courage were a professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association. The team played at Fetzer Field on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus in 2001, and then at the soccer-specific SAS Stadium in Cary, North Carolina in 2002 and 2003. The team began play in 2001; the...
in the professional women's league WUSA
Women's United Soccer Association
The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
in the United States. During her short stint in America she claimed the 2002 WUSA Championship. After the 2003 World Cup, Prinz declined an offer from AC Perugia
Perugia Calcio
Associazione Calcistica Perugia Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Perugia, Umbria, direct heir of the old Perugia Calcio and A.C. Perugia, excluded from Italian football because of financial troubles....
to play in Italy's men's Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, fearing her transfer would be used as a publicity stunt and she would end up on the bench.
In her time at FFC Frankfurt, Prinz has won many personal awards, including a record eight German Female Footballer of the Year
German Footballer of the Year
The title Footballer of the Year has been awarded in Germany since 1960. In 1996 the title Women's Footballer of the Year was awarded for the first time. Both awards are determined by a poll of German football journalists from the Association of German Sports Journalists and the publication Kicker...
awards from 2001 to 2008. She was named the FIFA World Player of the Year
FIFA World Player of the Year
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
in 2003, 2004 and 2005. For four consecutive years from 2007 to 2010 she also came second, behind Brazil's Marta.
International
At the age of 16, Prinz made her debut for Germany's national teamGermany women's national football team
The German women's national football team represents Germany in international women's football and is directed by the German Football Association . The team – informally called West Germany in English – played its first international match in 1982...
in July 1994 against Canada. She came on after 72 minutes and scored the game-winner in the 89th minute. One year later, she won her first major title at the 1995 European Championship, scoring in the final. That year she was also part of Germany's squad coming second at the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup. In final against Norway she became the youngest player ever to appear in a World Cup Final.
For the next decade, Prinz has had one of the most successful international careers in women's football. She won four more UEFA European Championship
UEFA Women's Championship
The UEFA European Women's Championship, also called the UEFA Women's Euro and unofficially the "European Cup", held every fourth year, is the main competition in women's association football between national teams of the UEFA Confederation...
s in 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2009. At the Summer Olympics
Football at the Summer Olympics
Association football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...
she won bronze three times with the German team, in 2000
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
, 2004
Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics started on 11 August, , and ended on 28 August.The men's tournament is played by U-23 national teams, with up to three over age players allowed per squad...
and 2008
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate...
. At the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Prinz helped Germany win its first World Cup title in the women's game. She was honoured as the tournament's best player and top-scorer. Four years later at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup she captained the team to Germany's second World Cup title; she was awarded the Silver Ball as the second-best player at the tournament.
Prinz holds several national and international records. With 14 goals, she is the all-time leading goalscorer at FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
s. At the Summer Olympics
Football at the Summer Olympics
Association football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...
Prinz and Brazil's Cristiane have both scored the tournament record of 10 goals. For the German national team Prinz has appeared 212 times and scored 128 goals. She is the team's most capped player and top goalscorer, and is also the most capped non-American player in the sport.
Private life
Prinz is a trained physical therapist. In 2010, she earned a degree in psychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at the University of Frankfurt.
Club
FSV Frankfurt- BundesligaFußball-Bundesliga (women)The Women's Football Bundesliga is the main league competition for women's football in Germany. In 1990 the German Football Association created the German Women's Bundesliga, based on the model of the men's Bundesliga. It was first played with north and south divisions, but in 1997 the groups...
: Winner (2) 1994–95, 1997–98 - German Cup: Winner (2) 1994–95, 1995–96
1. FFC Frankfurt
- UEFA Women's Cup: Winner (3) 2001–02, 2005–06, 2007–08; Runner-up (1) 2003–04
- BundesligaFußball-Bundesliga (women)The Women's Football Bundesliga is the main league competition for women's football in Germany. In 1990 the German Football Association created the German Women's Bundesliga, based on the model of the men's Bundesliga. It was first played with north and south divisions, but in 1997 the groups...
: Winner (6) 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2007–08 - German Cup: Winner (8) 1998–99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007–08, 2010–112010–11 Frauen DFB-PokalThe DFB-Pokal 2010–11 was the 31st season of the cup competition, Germany's second-most important title in women's football. 1. FFC Frankfurt defeated 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam 2–1 in the final in Cologne on 26 March 2011.-Participating clubs:...
Carolina Courage
- WUSA ChampionshipWomen's United Soccer AssociationThe Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
: Winner (1) 2002
International
- FIFA World CupFIFA Women's World CupThe FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
: Winner (2) 2003, 2007 Runner-Up (1) 1995 - UEFA European ChampionshipUEFA Women's ChampionshipThe UEFA European Women's Championship, also called the UEFA Women's Euro and unofficially the "European Cup", held every fourth year, is the main competition in women's association football between national teams of the UEFA Confederation...
: Winner (5) 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009 - Olympic bronze medalFootball at the Summer OlympicsAssociation football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...
: (3) 2000Football at the 2000 Summer OlympicsThe football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
, 2004Football at the 2004 Summer OlympicsThe football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics started on 11 August, , and ended on 28 August.The men's tournament is played by U-23 national teams, with up to three over age players allowed per squad...
, 2008Football at the 2008 Summer OlympicsFootball at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate... - Algarve CupAlgarve CupThe Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football . Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious women's football events, alongside the Women's World Cup and Women's Olympic Football...
: Winner (1) 2006
Individual
- FIFA World Player of the YearFIFA World Player of the YearThe FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
: Winner (3) 2003, 2004, 2005; Runner-up (4) 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 - German Player of the YearGerman Footballer of the YearThe title Footballer of the Year has been awarded in Germany since 1960. In 1996 the title Women's Footballer of the Year was awarded for the first time. Both awards are determined by a poll of German football journalists from the Association of German Sports Journalists and the publication Kicker...
: Winner (8) 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 - All time leading goalscorer FIFA Women's World CupFIFA Women's World CupThe FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
– 14 goals(tied with Marta) - All-time leading goalscorer Women's Olympic Football TournamentFootball at the Summer OlympicsAssociation football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...
– 10 goals (with Cristiane) - Golden Ball Winner: 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup
- Silver Ball Winner: 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup
- Top-scorer 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup
- Top-scorer BundesligaFußball-Bundesliga (women)The Women's Football Bundesliga is the main league competition for women's football in Germany. In 1990 the German Football Association created the German Women's Bundesliga, based on the model of the men's Bundesliga. It was first played with north and south divisions, but in 1997 the groups...
: (4) 1996–97, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2006–07 - Silbernes LorbeerblattSilbernes LorbeerblattThe Silberne Lorbeerblatt is the highest sports award in Germany. It had been endowed on June 23, 1950 by the German President Theodor Heuss. It is awarded to athletes and teams if they placed several times at international championships. Furthermore, the honoree also has to have an exemplary...
: 2007
External links
- Official website
- Profile at the German Football Federation
- Profile at Weltfussball.de