Melanie Leuoplz, a footballer and mother, has announced her retirement from club football after stepping away from international duty in September 2023.
She won a Euro in 2013 and an Olympic gold medal in 2016. She has won two Bundesligas, four WSL, and three FA cups in her club career. She has played in the German, English, and Spanish leagues.
In her final season, she played at Freiburg, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Real Madrid.
She is most notable for returning to professional football after giving birth and setting the expectations for all clubs regarding the treatment of players while on maternity leave.
She announced her retirement on June 13, 2025, at 31. This comes after serious knee injuries, including a partial lateral ligament tear in January and a knee injury in the Champions League in March, plagued her final season. However, she did manage to return to the club for the final three league matches.
She thanked Real Madrid fans and said football has been her ‘life since childhood’, expressing gratitude for the joy and memories she experienced.
This comes less than two years after she retired from international duty for Germany, where she won the Euros in 2013 and got gold at the Olympics in Rio in 2016.
Her retirement from Germany came after returning to the national side after giving birth, and the 2023 World Cup was her last tournament.
Between 2013 and 2023, she earned 79 caps and scored 13 goals, contributing to major victories.
In her statement, she cited the "energy-sapping" demands of balancing club, country, and motherhood. She expressed pride in her national team achievements and a desire to devote her full energy to club football and her son.
The German FA praised her as a defining face of the national team and a role model for combining motherhood and professional sport.
Thank you, Leupolz, for breaking expectations and barriers in football and motherhood and showing that you can do it all if you want to and try hard.
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