DFB.de: Can you compare it to women’s football in Sweden and France?
Mittag: No, Germany is the best country in the world for women’s football. However, women’s football is doing well in Sweden, but there are only one or two good teams really. Women’s football is becoming more popular in France. Olympique Lyon won the Women’s Champions League last year. Lyon were unbeaten last season, winning 19 matches and drawing three. Us and Paris Saint-Germain had no chance of winning.
DFB.de:The Olympics, World Cup, European Championships – you’ve won every competition. What is your motivation nowadays?
Mittag: I love this sport and I’m not ready to give up. There has been a lot of changes in the national team with new head coach Steffi Jones calling up nine new players. It’s an exciting time for us and I want to be a part of it.
DFB.de: You made your 149th appearance for the women’s national team against Norway and you are now fifth in the list of Germany women’s record appearance makers. How does that feel?
Mittag: It’s quite surreal. I’m the grandmother of the team now and there are always a lot of young players sitting around me in the dressing room. It’s a real honour to play for Germany. But time goes really quickly. I know exactly how these young players feel. But I have now won the World and European Championships as well as a gold medal at the Olympics Games. It’s really difficult to describe how it feels. I would have never dreamed that I would achieve these things when I was beginning to play football as a young girl.
DFB.de: The match against Norway is the last international fixture this year. How do you look back on 2016?
Mittag: It was an incredible year. Winning a gold medal at the Olympics Games topped it off. It really was indescribable. We didn’t play our best football in Rio, but it was still effective. That’s what separates us from other successful international women’s teams. The match against Norway in my hometown Chemnitz will be a nice way to end the year.
created by mmc/vs
The Germany Women’s national team play their last international game of the calendar year this Tuesday. Steffi Jones’s side will play a European classic when they come up against their Norwegian counterparts in Chemnitz’s community4you Arena. For Anja Mittag, it is a return to her home. The 31-year-old was born in Chemnitz and it was here that she made her steps towards a hugely successful footballing career. Ahead of the clash against the Scandinavians, Mittag spoke to DFB.de about her return to her home town, the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga, her overseas experience, sporting career and the Rio Olympics last summer.
DFB.de: Anja Mittag, you will make your 149th cap for the National Team in your home town of Chemnitz. Will that be special occasion for you?
Anja Mittag: Definitely. It’s the first time that I will play a game in Chemnitz with the national team. I am always happy to be playing in new states. To be able to play here in Chemnitz is definitely something special for me. My family and lots of my friends will be there. It will be great for me to see so many familiar faces.
DFB.de: How often do you go back to Chemnitz?
Mittag: Since I’ve been back playing in Germany, I try and come back regularly. Sometimes though, the playing schedule ruins my plans. I can still manage to get back two or three times a month though. It’s not actually that far from Wolfsburg to Chemnitz.
DFB.de: Was that one of your reasons for your move to Wolfsburg?
Mittag: I just wanted to come back to a top club in Germany. Wolfsburg was therefore the perfect choice for me. I am happy that I made that decision as I feel right at home in Wolfsburg.
DFB.de: and sporting wise?
Mittag: Everything is still possible. We are in the quarter final of the Champions League and the last-16 of the DFB Cup. In the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga a group of teams have emerged as frontrunners and it’s looking very tight at the top. I don’t think any other year has been as exciting as this one.
DFB.de: Have things changed a lot since you left Germany in 2011?
Mittag: Of course. It’s very difficult to compare. Back then Duisburg, Frankfurt and Potsdam were fighting for the title. Generally, the Championship was decided on the head-to-head clashes between those teams because the other games were relatively easy tasks. Slip-ups against these bottom teams were a big exception. Nowadays anyone can beat anyone. Even the last placed team has a chance of beating the top team. When I left Germany that just wasn’t imaginable. The balance of power has shifted and it’s great fun to be able to play in such an even league.
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DFB.de: Can you compare it to women’s football in Sweden and France?
Mittag: No, Germany is the best country in the world for women’s football. However, women’s football is doing well in Sweden, but there are only one or two good teams really. Women’s football is becoming more popular in France. Olympique Lyon won the Women’s Champions League last year. Lyon were unbeaten last season, winning 19 matches and drawing three. Us and Paris Saint-Germain had no chance of winning.
DFB.de:The Olympics, World Cup, European Championships – you’ve won every competition. What is your motivation nowadays?
Mittag: I love this sport and I’m not ready to give up. There has been a lot of changes in the national team with new head coach Steffi Jones calling up nine new players. It’s an exciting time for us and I want to be a part of it.
DFB.de: You made your 149th appearance for the women’s national team against Norway and you are now fifth in the list of Germany women’s record appearance makers. How does that feel?
Mittag: It’s quite surreal. I’m the grandmother of the team now and there are always a lot of young players sitting around me in the dressing room. It’s a real honour to play for Germany. But time goes really quickly. I know exactly how these young players feel. But I have now won the World and European Championships as well as a gold medal at the Olympics Games. It’s really difficult to describe how it feels. I would have never dreamed that I would achieve these things when I was beginning to play football as a young girl.
DFB.de: The match against Norway is the last international fixture this year. How do you look back on 2016?
Mittag: It was an incredible year. Winning a gold medal at the Olympics Games topped it off. It really was indescribable. We didn’t play our best football in Rio, but it was still effective. That’s what separates us from other successful international women’s teams. The match against Norway in my hometown Chemnitz will be a nice way to end the year.
