Nia Tsholofelo Künzer (born 18 January 1980) is a retired German women's football player.[2]
 Nia Künzer in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nia Tsholofelo Künzer[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 18 January 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Mochudi, Botswana | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender – Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Eintracht Wetzlar | |||
| VfB Gießen | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997 | SG Praunheim | 4 | (0) |
| 1998–2008 | 1. FFC Frankfurt | 111 | (22) |
| International career | |||
| –1997 | Germany U-21 | 19 | (0) |
| 1997–2003 | Germany | 34 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
editShe was born in Mochudi, Botswana, as Nia Tsholofelo Künzer (her first name being Swahili for "aim" or "intention" and her second name being Tswana for "hope"), where her parents were on a two-year tour with a development aid organization.[3] She grew up in the Albert-Schweitzer-Kinderdorf (children's village) in Wetzlar-Garbenheim, alongside her brother and seven foster children. After the Abitur, she did a year of practical training in social work in a kindergarten for handicapped children. In 2008, she completed a degree in education science (German title Diplompädagogin) at the Justus Liebig University Giessen.[4]
Career
edit
Having a history as a high jumper, and after being a member of football clubs Eintracht Wetzlar and VfB Gießen she was with 1. FFC Frankfurt (1st Frankfurt Women's Football Club) starting 1997. She played as a defender or midfielder. Künzer retired in July 2008 from professional football after an injury.
International career
editKünzer was part of the German women's national football team at the 2003 World Cup. Her "golden goal" in the final match against Sweden made Germany the winner of the tournament with a result of 2-1.[5] The goal was to become the first ever women's "Goal of the Year" in the history of German football.[6][7] In 2004, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) voted to abolish the "golden goal" rule (taking effect on July 1, 2004), and the tie-breaking format was established, with teams playing two straight 15-minute extra time periods before the game goes to penalty kicks.[8] Künzer's winning goal is the only "golden goal" to decide a Women's World Cup final.[9]
She actively promotes the idea of women's soccer and helps in recruiting from the next generation of enthusiastic young girls.[10]
During the winter of 2003/2004 she had to pause for several weeks due to one more cruciate ligament injury, which meant she was not available for the Olympic Games 2004 in Athens, Greece. A fourth cruciate ligament injury forced Künzer to resign from the national team in 2006.
TV career
editKünzer also works as a TV sports commentator.[11] She is Das Erste's main pundit for their comprehensive coverage of games involving the national team as well as for major women's tournaments like World Cups, Euros and the Algarve Cup.
Career statistics
editInternational goals
edit| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 25 October 2001 | Wolfsburg, Germany | Portugal | 2–0 | 9–0 | 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 12 October 2003 | Carson, United States | Sweden | 2–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup |
References
edit- ^ "Nia Künzer". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ "Nia Künzer privat: Vom Fußballplatz in die Politik! Das macht die Ex-Nationalspielerin heute". News.de. 6 July 2022.
- ^ "Nia Künzer". Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen.
- ^ https://www.uni-giessen.de/de/fbz/zentren/zfbk/alumni/karrierewege/kulturundsport/kuenzer [bare URL]
- ^ "Women's National Team :: National Teams :: DFB - Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V." www.dfb.de. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "See the Top 8 Moments in Women's World Cup History". Time. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "Nia Künzers "Golden Goal" zum Tor des Jahres 2003 gewählt". DFB - Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. (in German). Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "Uniformity on extra time and penalty shoot-outs". Oceania Football Confederation. 1 March 2004. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ "Fact Sheet: Golden Goal statistics – But en or statistiques – Gol de oro estadísticos – Golden Goal Statistiken" (PDF). FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ Fritzen, Marek (3 June 2019). "Interview mit Nia Künzer: "Das macht mich nachdenklich"". Volksfreund.
- ^ GmbH, DWDL de. "Weltmeisterin Nia Künzer ist neue ARD-Expertin für Frauenfußball". DWDL.de.
External links
edit- Nia Künzer (personal homepage)
- Deutscher Fußball-Bund (German Soccer Assn) (portrait Nia Künzer)
- FIFA Women's World Cup (portrait Nia Künzer, in German)
- The San Diego Union-Tribune ("Heads-up Germany stuns Sweden" – October 13, 2003)
- Westdeutscher Rundfunk (audio in German: "Arrival in Frankfurt" – October 14, 2003)
- Nia Künzer at IMDb