Nia Künzer
Nia Künzer in 2013
Personal information
Full name Nia Tsholofelo Künzer[1]
Date of birth (1980-01-18) 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
0000–1997 Germany U-21 19 (0)
1997–2003 Germany 34 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nia Tsholofelo Künzer (born 18 January 1980) is a retired German women's football player.[2]

Early life

She 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

Nia Künzer, DFB Cup in Aschheim 24.03.2008

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

Künzer 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.

International goals

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.25 October 2001Wolfsburg, Germany Portugal2–09–02003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
2.12 October 2003Carson, United States Sweden2–12–1 (a.e.t.)2003 FIFA Women's World Cup

TV career

Künzer 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.

References

  1. ↑ "Nia Künzer". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Nia Künzer privat: Vom Fußballplatz in die Politik! Das macht die Ex-Nationalspielerin heute". News.de. 6 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Nia Künzer". Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen.
  4. ↑ https://www.uni-giessen.de/de/fbz/zentren/zfbk/alumni/karrierewege/kulturundsport/kuenzer
  5. ↑ "Women's National Team :: National Teams :: DFB - Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V." www.dfb.de. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  6. ↑ "See the Top 8 Moments in Women's World Cup History". Time. 2015-06-09. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  7. ↑ "Nia Künzers "Golden Goal" zum Tor des Jahres 2003 gewählt". DFB - Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  8. ↑ "Uniformity on extra time and penalty shoot-outs". Oceania Football Confederation. 2004-03-01. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  9. ↑ "Fact Sheet: Golden Goal statistics – But en or statistiques – Gol de oro estadísticos – Golden Goal Statistiken" (PDF). FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  10. ↑ Fritzen, Marek (June 3, 2019). "Interview mit Nia Künzer: "Das macht mich nachdenklich"". Volksfreund.
  11. ↑ GmbH, DWDL de. "Weltmeisterin Nia Künzer ist neue ARD-Expertin für Frauenfußball". DWDL.de.
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