Keßler: I’ve watched a lot of matches to be honest, including some at the stadium. I was at the Germany game this week and told the head coach that I’d be retiring this week. It’s obviously going to be difficult to watch games for the next few weeks, but once I’ve improved I’ll start looking for a new challenge.
Question: Do you know what you want to do next?
Keßler: I’m not going to stick my head in the sand. I’m going to do a Masters and hope to remain in the sport industry, although I have no specific aspirations yet.
Question: Could we see you as a pundit on TV soon?
Keßler: I’ve not been asked by anyone yet but I think it’d be fun. However, it’s too early to make any solid decisions still.
Germany international Nadine Keßler announced her retirement from football earlier today. The 28-year-old has been sidelined with a knee injury for over a year and has now decided to hang up her boots. The former VfL Wolfsburg star, who won the World and European Footballer of the Year awards in 2014, spoke to the “Sport-Informations-Dienst” (SID) about the lay-off and her plans for the future.
Question: Nadine Keßler, you’ve had to announce your retirement at the age of 28. How are you feeling after making this decision?
Nadine Keßler: The last few days have been tough for me. I’ve been suffering for a while now, but even then it was extremely tough for me to call time on my career.
Question: You’ve not played since 21st September 2014. When did it become apparent that you wouldn’t be able to return to action?
Keßler: I picked up the injury almost two years ago but retirement only crossed my mind recently. I gave it my all – I was desperate to play football again. I’ve had lots of operations, including one in March. I’m an all-or-nothing sort of person and unfortunately my knee can’t cope with performance sport anymore. As a result of this I’ve had to retire. It wasn’t an easy decision to make though.
Question: How has the injury impacted you on a personal level?
Keßler: It used to hurt to walk, which meant that it severely impacted me on a daily basis. The latest procedure has certainly caused an improvement – despite never being able to play football again, I hope that I’ll be able to do things without discomfort.
Question: How hard has it been to watch games during this period?
Keßler: I’ve watched a lot of matches to be honest, including some at the stadium. I was at the Germany game this week and told the head coach that I’d be retiring this week. It’s obviously going to be difficult to watch games for the next few weeks, but once I’ve improved I’ll start looking for a new challenge.
Question: Do you know what you want to do next?
Keßler: I’m not going to stick my head in the sand. I’m going to do a Masters and hope to remain in the sport industry, although I have no specific aspirations yet.
Question: Could we see you as a pundit on TV soon?
Keßler: I’ve not been asked by anyone yet but I think it’d be fun. However, it’s too early to make any solid decisions still.
