The final whistle on Friday night didn't just end the Women's Olympic football final, it also marked the conclusion of an outstanding career, as coach Silvia Neid had previously announced that this would be her last tournament in charge. When the moment arrived after the 2-1 victory over Sweden for the gold medal, it was naturally very emotional.
Without a doubt, Neid shaped an entire era. Her final chapter ended on a high note - an Olympic gold medal. The 52-year-old had set out for Brazil with the clear goal in mind of winning the tournament. She wanted to win this medal together with her coaching staff and her team and that's exactly what happened. Neid has won nearly everything there is to win in women's football and this final victory is a fitting conclusion to her remarkable career.
Neid: "Just really happy"
"That was the icing on the cake. I'm just really happy that we won the game, as it wasn't easy. I'm very proud of my team, as we've realised our dream of winning the gold medal. It was amazing," said Neid after the game, but immediately turned her focus towards what's to come: "I’m personally very excited for what will happen next. I have a new task, which I'm looking forward to a lot."
As she hands the team over, Neid knows that they will be in good hands. Steffi Jones has already been named as her successor. The quality of the team is undeniable and Germany will be a leading force in women's football in the next few years as well. As director of scouting for female first team and youth players at DFB, Neid will continue to follow their development closely. So she won't be completely out of the picture.
A new chapter in life begins
"I'm very excited about my new task, simply because it's something completely different," she said. "It's not just working out of an office. I will travel the world to find out what's trending in women's football. I will do my research, make an evaluation and present it to Steffi Jones and her team - it's a fantastic challenge." Her new working tools will be her office desk, an aeroplane and the international world of women's football. During games she won't be standing on the sidelines anymore, but instead sit in the stands. A new perspective for a new chapter in life.
Before all this can begin however, one should take some time to look back on Neid's impressive and long-lasting career.
A look back
In 1996 Neid started working as Tina Theune's assistant. In 2005 she was promoted to head coach. Her first major tournament in charge of the team was the 2007 World Cup in China, where Germany were crowned champions after a 2-0 victory over Brazil in the final. In total Neid won the World Cup twice as a coach, she is a five time European Champion, won a bronze and now gold medal at the Olympics and secured four titles at the Algarve Cup. This is just a list of her most impressive victories. Neid took charge of Germany 169 times and won 125 of those games with 22 ending in a draw and 22 in a defeat - an impressive record.
As a player, Neid took part in the first official international game of a German women's team on November 10th 1982 in Koblenz against Switzerland. She was only 18 years old and added her name to the scoresheet just one minute after she was introduced to the game as Germany recorded a 5-1 victory.
Neid the first German with 100 national team appearances
In total she made 111 appearances for the DFB Team, scoring 48 goals in the process. She was the first German women to reach 100 appearances. After 14 years she ended her career after a game against Brazil at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta as a World Cup finalist, three time European Champion, seven time German Champion and six time DFB Cup winner.
There were certainly also sobering moments in her career, but set-backs never took Neid off course. She never backed down from adversity, but instead stood up to it and emerged even stronger. A very bitter moment in her career was the quarterfinal exit at the 2011 World Cup in Germany to eventual winners Japan.
But Neid has been in this business long enough to know that joy and agony sometimes go hand in hand in football. Her coaching career ended on a high note however. She ended her playing career at the Olympic Games and did the same with her coaching career. But this time she takes a gold medal back home as well.
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The final whistle on Friday night didn't just end the Women's Olympic football final, it also marked the conclusion of an outstanding career, as coach Silvia Neid had previously announced that this would be her last tournament in charge. When the moment arrived after the 2-1 victory over Sweden for the gold medal, it was naturally very emotional.
Without a doubt, Neid shaped an entire era. Her final chapter ended on a high note - an Olympic gold medal. The 52-year-old had set out for Brazil with the clear goal in mind of winning the tournament. She wanted to win this medal together with her coaching staff and her team and that's exactly what happened. Neid has won nearly everything there is to win in women's football and this final victory is a fitting conclusion to her remarkable career.
Neid: "Just really happy"
"That was the icing on the cake. I'm just really happy that we won the game, as it wasn't easy. I'm very proud of my team, as we've realised our dream of winning the gold medal. It was amazing," said Neid after the game, but immediately turned her focus towards what's to come: "I’m personally very excited for what will happen next. I have a new task, which I'm looking forward to a lot."
As she hands the team over, Neid knows that they will be in good hands. Steffi Jones has already been named as her successor. The quality of the team is undeniable and Germany will be a leading force in women's football in the next few years as well. As director of scouting for female first team and youth players at DFB, Neid will continue to follow their development closely. So she won't be completely out of the picture.
A new chapter in life begins
"I'm very excited about my new task, simply because it's something completely different," she said. "It's not just working out of an office. I will travel the world to find out what's trending in women's football. I will do my research, make an evaluation and present it to Steffi Jones and her team - it's a fantastic challenge." Her new working tools will be her office desk, an aeroplane and the international world of women's football. During games she won't be standing on the sidelines anymore, but instead sit in the stands. A new perspective for a new chapter in life.
Before all this can begin however, one should take some time to look back on Neid's impressive and long-lasting career.
A look back
In 1996 Neid started working as Tina Theune's assistant. In 2005 she was promoted to head coach. Her first major tournament in charge of the team was the 2007 World Cup in China, where Germany were crowned champions after a 2-0 victory over Brazil in the final. In total Neid won the World Cup twice as a coach, she is a five time European Champion, won a bronze and now gold medal at the Olympics and secured four titles at the Algarve Cup. This is just a list of her most impressive victories. Neid took charge of Germany 169 times and won 125 of those games with 22 ending in a draw and 22 in a defeat - an impressive record.
As a player, Neid took part in the first official international game of a German women's team on November 10th 1982 in Koblenz against Switzerland. She was only 18 years old and added her name to the scoresheet just one minute after she was introduced to the game as Germany recorded a 5-1 victory.
Neid the first German with 100 national team appearances
In total she made 111 appearances for the DFB Team, scoring 48 goals in the process. She was the first German women to reach 100 appearances. After 14 years she ended her career after a game against Brazil at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta as a World Cup finalist, three time European Champion, seven time German Champion and six time DFB Cup winner.
There were certainly also sobering moments in her career, but set-backs never took Neid off course. She never backed down from adversity, but instead stood up to it and emerged even stronger. A very bitter moment in her career was the quarterfinal exit at the 2011 World Cup in Germany to eventual winners Japan.
But Neid has been in this business long enough to know that joy and agony sometimes go hand in hand in football. Her coaching career ended on a high note however. She ended her playing career at the Olympic Games and did the same with her coaching career. But this time she takes a gold medal back home as well.
