German · Friedberg, Germany · Born 25 October 1977German footballer widely regarded as one of the greatest women's players of all time, three-time FIFA World Player of the Year and two-time World Cup winner.
Birgit Prinz was born on 25 October 1977 in Frankfurt, West Germany, and progressed through local youth clubs before signing with FSV Frankfurt in 1993, developing into one of the most complete and prolific strikers in the history of women's football. She moved to 1. FFC Frankfurt in 1998, forming the core of her career around the club she would represent, aside from one notable exception, for the remainder of her playing days. Prinz was widely regarded as the finest female footballer in the world for much of the 2000s, winning the FIFA World Player of the Year award three consecutive times, from 2003 to 2005 — a run of individual dominance matched by very few players of any era. She led Germany to World Cup titles in 2003, where she finished as the tournament's top scorer with seven goals, and again in 2007. Prinz briefly played in the United States for the Carolina Courage in the Women's United Soccer Association, the country's first professional women's league, before returning to Frankfurt to close out her club career. She also won three Olympic bronze medals across three consecutive Games and was crowned European champion on five separate occasions with the German national team. Prinz retired in 2011 with 214 international caps and 128 goals, and remains the second-highest goalscorer in Women's World Cup history behind only Brazil's Marta. She was inducted into the German Football Hall of Fame in 2019 and has since worked as a sport psychologist for both the men's and women's teams at Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Only player to win FIFA World Player of the Year three consecutive times
How They Played
Clinical striker with exceptional positioning, finishing ability and aerial prowess
Lasting Impact
Considered one of the greatest female footballers of all time and pioneer of women's football in Germany
Career Honours
- FIFA Women's World Cup 2003, 2007
- FIFA World Player of the Year 2003, 2004, 2005
- UEFA Women's Championship 2001
- FIFA Women's World Cup 2003
- FIFA Women's World Cup 2007
- UEFA Women's Championship 2005
- UEFA Women's Championship 2009
| Club | Period | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| FSV Frankfurt | 1993–1998 | 57 | 45 |
| 1. FFC Frankfurt | 1998–2002 | 76 | 78 |
| Carolina Courage | 2002–2003 | 35 | 23 |
| 1. FFC Frankfurt | 2003–2011 | 114 | 136 |
 Germany | — | 214 | 128 |
German Athletes