The Frauen-Bundesliga is home to some of the most exciting players on the planet. Throughout the years, countless iconic players have featured in Germany’s top flight and are well known for their performances there.
But let’s not forget some of the stars who many didn’t know once plied their trade in the German league. Here are five former Frauen-Bundesliga players you may have forgotten about.
Jess Fishlock
Embed from Getty ImagesThroughout her career, Welsh midfielder Jess Fishlock has played in many leagues. Therefore, it is quickly forgotten that she spent a year in the Frauen-Bundesliga.
In the 2014/15 season, OL Reign loaned Fishlock out to 1. FFC Frankfurt. Since 2020, the club is now known as Eintracht Frankfurt. During her time with the team, the Welsh player made a total of 17 appearances, in which she scored two goals.
The German club reached the final of the 2015 Champions League. Fishlock, however, had to return to OL Reign and missed out on that very important game.
Frankfurt went on to win the European title by beating Paris St. Germain by two goals to one. At no point was there any doubt about the important contribution Fishlock had made to the team on their way to the final.
Therefore, the Champions League medal is symbolic of her successful time in the Frauen-Bundesliga.
Ria Percival
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother player who spent time at 1. FFC Frankfurt was New Zealand international Ria Percival. She made a total of 24 appearances for the German side throughout the 2011/12 season.
After the year, she left the club to sign for FF USV Jena, who were relegated from the Frauen-Bundesliga in 2018 to the 2. Bundesliga. However, Percival didn’t experience the spell in the second tier, as she didn’t extend her expiring contract.
From 2012 to 2016, the defender played 88 games for Jena and scored eight times.
After playing a total of 112 games in the Frauen-Bundesliga, the New Zealand record player went on to sign for the Swiss team FC Basel and for Women’s Super League side West Ham United.
In 2019, Percival became part of the Tottenham Hotspur squad. In the current 2021/22 season, she has achieved top defensive performances with a very confident looking Spurs team.
Kristie Mewis
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother player who was loaned out to the Frauen-Bundesliga is USWNT star Kristie Mewis. She joined German champions FC Bayern München for the season of 2015/16 from the Boston Breakers.
The midfielder made a total of 11 appearances for the club — two of which which were Champions League games. Mewis scored one goal during her spell in Southern Germany.
FC Bayern went on to defend the Bundesliga title in 2016, which they had already won in the previous season. Mewis was part of the winning squad and has contributed a large part to the success of the team with her appearances. After she had left FC Bayern, the American signed for Washington Spirit in 2016.
Mary Earps
Embed from Getty ImagesBefore she became Manchester United’s No.1, Mary Earps tried to assert herself at the German giants VfL Wolfsburg. She signed for the She-wolves in July 2018. There, the goalkeeper faced tough concurrence with German international Almuth Schult.
In addition to four appearances for the club’s first squad, Earps also stood between the sticks for Wolfsburg’s second team two times. Her first team debut saw her keep a clean sheet in a 11-0 win over Hannover 96.
The season of 2018/19 was a particularly successful one for the She-wolves, who secured their third consecutive domestic double. It consisted of the Frauen-Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles. Earps, however, left the winning team after one year.
In 2019, she joined the newly-promoted WSL side Manchester United, with whom she has since made some vital saves.
Ada Hegerberg
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Norwegian striker’s unique track record is inseparable from that of Olympique Lyonnais. Since joining the French side in 2014, Ada Hegerberg has not only become the Women’s Champions League top goal scorer, but also the first female player to win the Ballon d’Or.
However, her success story began in Germany. There, Hegerberg joined Turbine Potsdam in 2012 from the Norwegian side Stabaek. The striker made a total of 32 appearances for the Germans and scored 14 goals.
In Potsdam, she had some other well-known teammates in Swiss international Lia Wälti and fellow Norwegian Maren Mjelde. The German club finished the season of 2013/14 on third place and narrowly missed out on a Champions League spot.
Hegerberg, however, had the latter one guaranteed when she joined Lyon in 2014. Since then, she has scored more than 200 goals for the club. The rest is history.
