A long journey to becoming a national hero

Germany’s starting goalkeeper had a difficult journey before yesterday’s starring role.

When Kathrin Hendrich saw a 14th-minute red card against France, few expected Germany will have any hope of making the semi-final of Women’s Euro 2025. Furthermore, Ann-Katrin Berger was unable to save the penalty-kick that came out of it despite a strong touch of the ball.

However, this was the night when Berger wrote her name in German football history. In short, she made nine saves during the 120 minutes of play, and scored her attempt in the penalty shootout, where she added two more blocks.

Having played over 100 minutes with 10 women, Germany still prevailed thanks to Berger’s special night. Just last week, Germany’s new #1 was under lots of scrutiny in her performance when they lost 4-1 to Sweden.

But that’s nothing compared to what she fought in the past to reach here. A two-time cancer survivor, Berger is a true inspiration for many. She won league titles in Germany and England, but the first international call only came after she turned 30.

Last year, the Gotham FC shot-stopper made her first mark on the international stage after making two saves and scoring the decisive penalty against Canada in the quarter-final of the Olympics. And just before the Euros, she helped her club win the inaugural CONCACAF Champions Cup.

On the pitch, nothing came close to yesterday’s triumph, though. In particular, how she reacted to crawl back in saving a potential own-goal by Janina Minge made the 34-year-old an eternal hero. Unsurprisingly, she won the Player of the Match trophy at the end of the game.

However, she still needs one more big performance to see her wish fulfilled. Her 92-year-old grandfather, Herbert, who was in the opening win against Poland, promised her to come back to Switzerland only if they made it into the final.

After the final whistle, Berger yelled at the camera, “Grandpa, one more game!”. She further talked about the family factor in length. “He’s only coming to the final, and that’s where I want to go. And, that’s why I had to take a penalty and save two. I think he’s already in bed. But I’m looking forward to an email from him.”

Berger and her teammates will have their biggest challenges waiting for them on Wednesday as they face World Cup winners Spain in the semi-final.