The German football world has lost one of its defining figures. As the German Football Association (DFB) announced on Friday, Anouschka Bernhard has passed away at the age of 55 after a serious illness. Bernhard, who was born in Waiblingen, looked back on an impressive career as a player and coach.
Bernhard played a total of 47 international matches for the German national team. Her greatest sporting success was winning the European Championship in her home country in 1995. In the same year, she also became Vice World Champion. At the club level, the defender celebrated her greatest triumphs with FSV Frankfurt, with whom she won two German championships and the DFB Cup once.
After her active career, Bernhard dedicated herself to training young talents. Between 2011 and 2020, she worked for the DFB as a coach in the U-team area. During this time, she led the U17 junior women to a total of four European Championship titles. Most recently, she was active as a 'Verbandssportlehrerin' in Schleswig-Holstein. Heike Ullrich, DFB Vice President, praised Bernhard as an extraordinary footballer and a wonderful personality who left a deep mark on the sport.
