After five years at Bayer 04: Goalkeeper Friederike Repohl to retire

"The past few weeks have been very intense for me personally and have shown me once again how fast-paced and demanding football is," explained Repohl. "An injury can change everything in a very short time – and that's part and parcel of this sport. However, my decision to end my career in the summer was made independently of the current situation. It has been developing over a long period of time and is based on several personal considerations. Of course, I had imagined the last few months of my career differently. I wanted to play as many games as possible and make my contribution on the pitch. At the same time, I know that there is life after football. In view of my body, this step is logical and the right one. I am now going into rehab with full energy and concentration in order to get fit for the final stages of the season. The goal is to return to the pitch and end my career there."

"When Friederike came to us from Wolfsburg, we couldn't have predicted that she would define an era over years," said Achim Feifel, Bayer 04 Women sporting director. "Thanks to her strong mentality, she quickly took on an important role in the team, which eventually led her to the captaincy. She's played a big part in our development with her very good and steady performances. We were aware that she'd been thinking for a long time about the right time to begin a new chapter in her life. We really hope that Friederike can make one last comeback on the pitch for us, look forward to the remaining months and also wish her nothing but the best for the future."

The Bielefeld native has made 83 appearances in all competitions for the Werkself since her move from VfL Wolfsburg four and a half years ago. Including her previous clubs Herforder SV, TSG Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg, she's made a total of 146 Bundesliga appearances. The former Germany youth international won the DFB Cup with Wolfsburg in 2020 and 2021. In Leverkusen, Repohl established herself as first-choice goalkeeper in early 2022 and has retained that status ever since. At the start of this month, she sustained a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in her right knee in the 1-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt and is set to be out for at least the next two months.