It’s the type of phone call that the players in Germany’s Women’s national team still remember. You pick up the phone and manager Silvia Neid is on the other end wanting to call you up to the first team for the first time. It’s something that Margarita Gidion will also never forget.
The 20-year-old from SGS Essen has been with the Women’s national team since Thursday at their winter training camp in Marbella. This is the first time that “Maggi”, which is how she is known to her teammates, has been part of the first team. “When the manager called me to tell me that I’d been called up in place of the injured Josy Henning I became nervous immediately,” she explained with a smile on her face. “I was lost for words.”
“The tempo, the level and the technical ability are a lot higher”
But after a few days in Marbella, she soon became able to talk again as Maggi met up with the team. What’s made it easier is the fact that her Essen teammate Lisa Weiß is also there, as well as Pauline Bremer, Sara Däbritz and Lena Petermann, all of whom were part of the Under-20 squad who won the World Cup in Canada in 2014.
It became apparent during the tournament that the striker could also apply her trade as a centre-back. Her call-up to the first team is the next step in her development. And Margarita believes it is a big step: “The drills that we’re doing here are quite similar to those at youth team level but the tempo, the level and the technical ability are a lot higher. It takes time to get used to that.”
Tipps from Leupolz
Gidion, who moved from her home town club SV Schopfheim to SC Freiburg in 2010 and has been playing at SGS Essen since the start of this season, received some tips from Melanie Leupolz. Her former Freiburg teammate and current Bayern München player gave her support: “Maggi, go and grab it.” But Gidion was still nervous as she met up with the squad on Saturday. “I was very, very nervous but everyone gave me a warm welcome and they’re all very nice. It’s a great honour to be here.”
Even though she was humble to be part of the squad and seemed cautious, Maggi can be a lot different. Those close to her know that she can be funny and quick-witted, as well as a relaxed person, who likes to tell the odd joke or two. She’s also a role model for business women off the pitch, whilst she impresses on the pitch with her technical ability and pace. Her heading is still something for her to work on: “I have to really work on it,” she said.
Margarita Gidion’s aims are to pick up experience, learn as much as possible and take as much as she can from the experience. She’ll have to wait and see whether Nadine Angerer will make one of her infamous welcome speeches, which is something she has warned everyone about. Nothing has happened so far but “I’m watchful,” said Margarita Gidion whilst laughing.