# Alexandra Popp

Alexandra Popp-Höppe (née Popp; German pronunciation:; born 6 April 1991) is a German professional footballer who plays as a striker for Frauen-Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg. Popp was named German Footballer of the Year three times, in 2014, 2016 and 2023, captained the German national team between 2019 and 2024, and is her country's third all-time top scorer. She is widely considered to be one of the most legendary and successful German footballers of all time.

## Early life

Popp attended Gesamtschule Berger Feld in Gelsenkirchen, one of four facilities certified as "elite schools of football" by the German Football Association. She was the school's sole female pupil and could only attend courtesy of a special permit. She studied and trained with junior players of the German men's Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04. Popp left school after the 12th grade with a Fachabitur diploma.

## Club career

Popp started her career at FC Silschede, playing there in mixed-gender teams until she reached the age limit of 14. Later she changed to 1. FFC Recklinghausen and played three years before joining the Bundesliga side FCR 2001 Duisburg in 2008. She had also been approached by French champions Olympique Lyonnais at the time, but chose Duisburg. Popp made her Bundesliga debut in September 2008 against Herforder SV and scored her first two goals three weeks later in an 8–0 win over TSV Crailsheim.
In her first year at Duisburg, Popp won the Double: the 2009 UEFA Women's Cup and the 2009 German Cup. She was awarded the 2009 Fritz Walter medal in silver as the year's second best female junior player. One year later, she again claimed the DFB-Pokal trophy with Duisburg and finished as 2009–10 Bundesliga runners-up. Due to Duisburg's major injury problems during the 2010–11 season, Popp played the majority of matches at left back.
In 2012, Popp transferred to VfL Wolfsburg, moving with her club teammate Luisa Wensing ahead of the 2012-13 campaign. In her first season at Wolfsburg, she scored 16 goals and won the treble: Frauen-Bundesliga championship, the DFB-Pokal Frauen and the UEFA Women's Champions League.
A year later, Wolfsburg successfully defended their UEFA Women's Champions League title. The 2013-14 Bundesliga title came down to a top of the table clash on the final matchday of the season, where Wolfsburg played against the unbeaten 1. FFC Frankfurt, who only needed a draw to win the championship. Popp scored an 89th-minute winning goal to secure a dramatic title for Die Wölfinnen, and the game set a new Bundesliga record with 12,464 spectators in attendance.
Popp helped Wolfsburg win four consecutive Bundesliga titles between from 2016-17 to the 2019-20 season. In August 2019, following the departure of Nilla Fischer, Popp was named as the new Wolfsburg captain alongside teammates Pernille Harder and Almuth Schult, a further sign of her strong mentality.
During her over decade-long spell at Wolfsburg, Popp firmly established herself as one of Germany's greatest-ever players and one of world football's most feared attackers. She has scored 147 goals in over 300 games for the club, winning seven league titles, two UEFA Women's Champions Leagues and 11 German Cup trophies.
Despite tough injury setbacks in her career, Popp has scored at least ten league goals in six different seasons for Wolfsburg and she helped the club to win a remarkable ten DFB-Pokal Frauen Cups in a row between 2014-15 and 2023-24. Wolfsburg's captain finished the 2022-23 season as both the Bundesliga top goalscorer (16 goals) and the Pokal's leading scorer (5 goals).
In November 2024, Popp extended her contract at Wolfsburg up to June 2026. Popp is the sixth-highest goalscorer in Frauen-Bundesliga history.

## International career

At the 2008 UEFA U-17 Women's Championship, Popp won her first international title with Germany, scoring the team's second goal in the final. The same year, she reached third-place at the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. In February 2010, Popp made her debut for Germany's senior national team in a friendly match against North Korea. Less than two weeks later she scored her first two international goals at the 2010 Algarve Cup in a 7–0 win over Finland.
Popp returned to junior competition for the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup on home soil. She won the title and became the tournament's best player and top goalscorer. She scored in every game that Germany played and with ten goals, she holds the scoring record for that tournament (together with Sydney Leroux and Christine Sinclair).
Popp was then called up for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. She played in all four games as a substitute, but the Germans were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Japan. Later that year, she played in a European Championship qualifying match against Kazakhstan, where she and teammate Célia Šašić each contributed four goals to a record 17–0 victory. With this achievement, she became the seventh German woman to score four goals in an international game.
Having chosen to play in the 2013 Champions League final with a torn ligament, Popp missed UEFA Women's Euro 2013 through injury. Germany ended up winning the tournament in Sweden, beating Norway 1-0 in the final.
On 24 May 2015, Silvia Neid called Popp up for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. In Canada, Germany finished fourth, defeating fellow European powerhouses Sweden and France but were eventually defeated by eventual champions the United States. Popp started in four of the team's seven games, scoring once.
Popp was called up again for the 2016 Summer Olympics, where Germany won the gold medal. She played in all six games, contributing a goal and two assists, with Germany beating Sweden 2-1 at the Maracanã in the final. Popp received the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt, Germany's highest sports honour, for her performance, along with the rest of the German team.
Alexandra missed the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 tournament due to a meniscus and lateral ligament injury. The loss of such a key player like her reasonably impacted Germany's performance, as they lost in the quarter-finals to Denmark.
In February 2019, Popp was named the new captain of the German women's national team. She captained the German squad at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Popp played every minute of the group stage and scored a header against South Africa. She made her 100th appearance for Germany on 22 June, 2019, against Nigeria in the Round of 16, where she also scored the opening goal.
Popp had an unbelievable impact at Euro 2022, scoring six goals in five matches and leading her side to the final. She scored both of Germany's goals in their semi-final win against France and became only the second player to score in four consecutive matches at a Women's Euros. A muscle injury in the pre-match warm-up forced Popp to miss the final, which hosts England won 2-1 after extra time. The Germany captain finished as the competition's joint-top scorer, alongside Beth Mead, and she was named in UEFA's Team of the Tournament.
At Germany's opening match of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Popp scored Germany's first two goals against Morocco in what was a 6-0 win. Despite Germany's failure to advance to the knockout stages, Popp scored in all three of their group games and finished as the tournament's joint-second top scorer with four goals.
On 30 September 2024, Popp announced her retirement from international football, with her last game being played on 28 October. With 67 goals in 145 international appearances, Popp is Germany's third top scorer and ninth most capped player of all time (as of November 2024).
She played at four World Cups and one European Championship, and won two Olympic medals and three Algarve Cups with Germany. Individually, Popp's performances saw her chosen as Women's National Team Player of the Year in 2012 and 2022, and she is a three-time Germany Women's Footballer of the Year, winning the award in 2014, 2016 and 2023.

## Personal life

Following a one-year internship as a physiotherapist, Popp successfully completed a three-year apprenticeship to become a zookeeper at Tierpark Essehof in Lehre. Popp married her partner Patrick Höppe in 2021. On her Instagram channel she regularly posts pictures of her dog Patch.

## Career statistics

    As of 9 August 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Germany | 2010 | 8 | 4 |
| Germany | 2011 | 13 | 10 |
| Germany | 2012 | 10 | 5 |
| Germany | 2013 | 8 | 3 |
| Germany | 2014 | 9 | 2 |
| Germany | 2015 | 14 | 7 |
| Germany | 2016 | 15 | 4 |
| Germany | 2017 | 6 | 5 |
| Germany | 2018 | 10 | 4 |
| Germany | 2019 | 13 | 9 |
| Germany | 2020 | 2 | 0 |
| Germany | 2021 | 3 | 0 |
| Germany | 2022 | 13 | 8 |
| Germany | 2023 | 11 | 6 |
| Germany | 2024 | 9 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 144 | 67 |
    Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Popp goal.
List of international goals scored by Alexandra Popp :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 26 February 2010 | Parchal, Portugal | Finland | 2–0 | 7–0 | 2010 Algarve Cup |
| 2 | 26 February 2010 | Parchal, Portugal | Finland | 4–0 | 7–0 | 2010 Algarve Cup |
| 3 | 15 September 2010 | Dresden, Germany | Canada | 3–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 25 November 2010 | Leverkusen, Germany | Nigeria | 6–0 | 8–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 3 June 2011 | Osnabrück, Germany | Italy | 2–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 3 June 2011 | Osnabrück, Germany | Italy | 5–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 7 | 7 June 2011 | Aachen, Germany | Netherlands | 3–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 16 June 2011 | Mainz, Germany | Norway | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 16 June 2011 | Mainz, Germany | Norway | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 26 October 2011 | Hamburg, Germany | Sweden | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 11 | 19 November 2011 | Wiesbaden, Germany | Kazakhstan | 2–0 | 17–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying |
| 12 | 19 November 2011 | Wiesbaden, Germany | Kazakhstan | 4–0 | 17–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying |
| 13 | 19 November 2011 | Wiesbaden, Germany | Kazakhstan | 8–0 | 17–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying |
| 14 | 19 November 2011 | Wiesbaden, Germany | Kazakhstan | 12–0 | 17–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying |
| 15 | 5 March 2012 | Parchal, Portugal | Sweden | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2012 Algarve Cup |
| 16 | 31 March 2012 | Mannheim, Germany | Spain | 3–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying |
| 17 | 31 May 2012 | Bielefeld, Germany | Romania | 2–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying |
| 18 | 31 May 2012 | Bielefeld, Germany | Romania | 4–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying |
| 19 | 31 May 2012 | Bielefeld, Germany | Romania | 5–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying |
| 20 | 26 October 2013 | Koper, Slovenia | Slovenia | 13–0 | 13–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 21 | 23 November 2013 | Žilina, Slovakia | Slovakia | 5–0 | 6–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 22 | 27 November 2013 | Osijek, Croatia | Croatia | 6–0 | 8–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 23 | 5 March 2014 | Albufeira, Portugal | Iceland | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2014 Algarve Cup |
| 24 | 29 October 2014 | Örebro, Sweden | Sweden | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 25 | 6 March 2015 | Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal | China | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2015 Algarve Cup |
| 26 | 9 March 2015 | Parchal, Portugal | Brazil | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2015 Algarve Cup |
| 27 | 11 March 2015 | Parchal, Portugal | Sweden | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2015 Algarve Cup |
| 28 | 7 June 2015 | Ottawa, Canada | Ivory Coast | 10–0 | 10–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 29 | 18 September 2015 | Halle, Germany | Hungary | 1–0 | 12–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying |
| 30 | 18 September 2015 | Halle, Germany | Hungary | 9–0 | 12–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying |
| 31 | 22 September 2015 | Zagreb, Croatia | Croatia | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying |
| 32 | 8 April 2016 | Istanbul, Turkey | Turkey | 4–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying |
| 33 | 8 April 2016 | Istanbul, Turkey | Turkey | 5–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying |
| 34 | 22 July 2016 | Paderborn, Germany | Ghana | 3–0 | 11–0 | Friendly |
| 35 | 3 August 2016 | São Paulo, Brazil | Zimbabwe | 2–0 | 6–1 | 2016 Summer Olympics |
| 36 | 20 October 2017 | Wiesbaden, Germany | Iceland | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 37 | 24 October 2017 | Großaspach, Germany | Faroe Islands | 1–0 | 11–0 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 38 | 24 October 2017 | Großaspach, Germany | Faroe Islands | 6–0 | 11–0 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 39 | 24 November 2017 | Bielefeld, Germany | France | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 40 | 24 November 2017 | Bielefeld, Germany | France | 3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 41 | 10 April 2018 | Domžale, Slovenia | Slovenia | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 42 | 4 September 2018 | Tórshavn, Faroe Islands | Faroe Islands | 6–0 | 8–0 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 43 | 4 September 2018 | Tórshavn, Faroe Islands | Faroe Islands | 8–0 | 8–0 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 44 | 6 October 2018 | Essen, Germany | Austria | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 45 | 9 April 2019 | Paderborn, Germany | Japan | 1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 46 | 30 May 2019 | Regensburg, Germany | Chile | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 47 | 17 June 2019 | Montpellier, France | South Africa | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 48 | 22 June 2019 | Grenoble, France | Nigeria | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 49 | 31 August 2019 | Kassel, Germany | Montenegro | 2–0 | 10–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 50 | 31 August 2019 | Kassel, Germany | Montenegro | 3–0 | 10–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 51 | 31 August 2019 | Kassel, Germany | Montenegro | 5–0 | 10–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 52 | 8 October 2019 | Thessaloniki, Greece | Greece | 1–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 53 | 9 November 2019 | London, England | England | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 54 | 8 July 2022 | London, England | Denmark | 4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 |
| 55 | 12 July 2022 | London, England | Spain | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 |
| 56 | 16 July 2022 | Milton Keynes, England | Finland | 2–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 |
| 57 | 21 July 2022 | London, England | Austria | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 |
| 58 | 27 July 2022 | Milton Keynes, England | France | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 |
| 59 | 27 July 2022 | Milton Keynes, England | France | 2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 |
| 60 | 7 October 2022 | Dresden, Germany | France | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 61 | 7 October 2022 | Dresden, Germany | France | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 62 | 7 July 2023 | Fürth, Germany | Zambia | 2–2 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 63 | 24 July 2023 | Melbourne, Australia | Morocco | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 64 | 24 July 2023 | Melbourne, Australia | Morocco | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 65 | 30 July 2023 | Sydney, Australia | Colombia | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 66 | 3 August 2023 | Brisbane, Australia | South Korea | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 67 | 1 December 2023 | Rostock, Germany | Denmark | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League |

## Honours

FCR 2001 Duisburg
* UEFA Women's Champions League: 2008–09
* DFB-Pokal Frauen: 2008–09, 2009–10
VfL Wolfsburg
* UEFA Women's Champions League: 2012–13, 2013–14
* Frauen-Bundesliga: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22
* DFB-Pokal Frauen: 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
Germany U17
* FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup third place: 2008
* UEFA U-17 Women's Championship: 2008
Germany U20
* FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup: 2010
Germany
* Summer Olympic Games: 2016
* Summer Olympics bronze medal: 2024
* UEFA Women's Championship runner-up: 2022
* UEFA Women's Nations League third place: 2023–24
* Algarve Cup: 2012, 2014, 2020
Individual
* UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship: Golden Player 2008
* Fritz Walter Medal: Silver 2009
* FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Golden Ball: 2010
* FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Golden Shoe: 2010
* Footballer of the Year in Germany: 2014, 2016, 2023
* Silbernes Lorbeerblatt: 2016, 2024
* IFFHS Women's World Team: 2020, 2022
* UEFA Women's Championship Silver Boot: 2022
* UEFA Women's Championship Team of the Tournament: 2022
* Frauen-Bundesliga Top scorer: 2022–23
* DFB-Pokal Frauen Top scorer: 2022–23
* FIFA Women's World Cup Bronze Boot: 2023
* Germany women's national Player of the Year: 2022