After her name was read out, it took Nadine Keßler a few second to stand up. It took time for her to take it all in and realise that she had won the award. She was the 2014 World Footballer of the Year. It’s the biggest honour a footballer can achieve.
Keßler picked up the FIFA Ballon d'Or yesterday evening ahead of Marta (Brazil) and Abby Wambach (USA). She follows in the footsteps of Nadine Angerer, who won the award last year. Keßler, who has been capped 29 times by her country, is the third German player to lift the award, after Angerer and Birgit Prinz.
It was a fantastic evening for German football: Ralf Kellermann was named the Women’s Coach of the Year for his work with VfL Wolfsburg, whilst Joachim Löw won the men’s equivalent of the award as a result of guiding Germany to World Cup success.
Surprise for Keßler
Keßler’s victory was somewhat of a surprise, as the midfielder has been injured, meaning she hasn’t made many appearances for Wolfsburg this season. However, you cannot deny that she was deserving of the award. Since joining the Wolves in 2011, her team has gone from strength to strength. Last season they won the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga and the Champions League titles.
"My heart is beating incredibly fast. I never thought that I would achieve something like this. I'd like to thank a few people: My coach, my club, my team and also the Germany set-up. I'd also like to thank my family and the doctors who have helped me, your support has been crucial," explained Keßler.
Thoughts with Malanda
It was a close call: 148 coaches, 146 captains and 90 journalists voted for the 26-year-old. Keßler received 17.52% of the votes. Marta was second (14.16%) and Wambach came third (13.33%).
After her name was read out, it took Nadine Keßler a few second to stand up. It took time for her to take it all in and realise that she had won the award. She was the 2014 World Footballer of the Year. It’s the biggest honour a footballer can achieve.
Keßler picked up the FIFA Ballon d'Or yesterday evening ahead of Marta (Brazil) and Abby Wambach (USA). She follows in the footsteps of Nadine Angerer, who won the award last year. Keßler, who has been capped 29 times by her country, is the third German player to lift the award, after Angerer and Birgit Prinz.
It was a fantastic evening for German football: Ralf Kellermann was named the Women’s Coach of the Year for his work with VfL Wolfsburg, whilst Joachim Löw won the men’s equivalent of the award as a result of guiding Germany to World Cup success.
Surprise for Keßler
Keßler’s victory was somewhat of a surprise, as the midfielder has been injured, meaning she hasn’t made many appearances for Wolfsburg this season. However, you cannot deny that she was deserving of the award. Since joining the Wolves in 2011, her team has gone from strength to strength. Last season they won the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga and the Champions League titles.
"My heart is beating incredibly fast. I never thought that I would achieve something like this. I'd like to thank a few people: My coach, my club, my team and also the Germany set-up. I'd also like to thank my family and the doctors who have helped me, your support has been crucial," explained Keßler.
Thoughts with Malanda
It was a close call: 148 coaches, 146 captains and 90 journalists voted for the 26-year-old. Keßler received 17.52% of the votes. Marta was second (14.16%) and Wambach came third (13.33%).
Despite the joy surrounding the success, Keßler didn’t forget to use the opportunity to pay tribute to her team mate Junior Malanda. The Wolfsburg midfielder tragically lost his life in a car accident at the weekend. “It’s a tragedy. We can’t put our sadness into words. Despite this, I’m obviously happy to win the award.” It was clear that she was fighting back the tears and that she was happy to finally return to her seat. She isn’t a fan of the limelight.
