Almuth Schult had taken off his gloves and was standing a few meters in front of her goal. She calmly removed the white tape from her fingers. The final qualifier for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand had just been blown, and the German selection had won 8-0 against Bulgaria. Up front, her team-mates congratulated each other, but Schult was in no hurry to join the others or the dressing room. She was preoccupied with her emotions. This had been a special game for her, her first in the national team in 1165 days.
Tears had come one by one, too many to hold back. Even when the 31-year-old had long since left the square, her eyes filled with water. At the press conference on Tuesday evening in Plovdiv’s Lokomotiv Stadium, Schult sometimes laughed and cried at the same time. “I’m emotionally upset because it was a very, very long time and a very, very long struggle to get an international match again,” said Schult, wiping tears from his face. Many in the team weren’t even aware of how long their break lasted, they’ve been back for a while. But it is something different to belong to the squad or to play yourself. She felt she had to fight for everything again: “An international match is worth a lot.”
On June 29, 2019, Schult was in goal in the 2-1 draw against Sweden in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. This was followed by an operation on the shoulder and in April 2020 the birth of twins. She had been promoted to regular keeper at VfL Wolfsburg since 2013 and with the German national team since 2015. Getting there had required perseverance and will, now she had to work hard to get back between the posts. In October 2020 she returned to the Wolfsburg team training, in January 2021 she made her comeback in a test against Eintracht Frankfurt – and now after three years, two months and eight days again with the German Football Association (DFB).
Schult provides the blueprint for other female soccer players
“I’m very grateful that my family made it possible, that was always the goal,” Schult said before the press conference on the ARD microphone. Probably no one could understand her situation who hadn’t fought her way back into competitive sports and had to open doors. For Schult there had been no comparisons, proven plans and fixed contacts in the Bundesliga or the DFB. She has made sure that her club and association have a blueprint for professional footballers returning after childbirth. Schult has become a pioneer and a role model. And you could clearly see how much pressure was removed after her first international match as a mother.
“As a goalkeeper, it’s all the more shitty, you can’t get in for ten minutes. If you’ve lost your place, it’s not that easy to get it back,” said Schult. She might have completed her 65th international match earlier if injuries and Corona hadn’t intervened. She wore a number 12 jersey against Bulgaria. The number 1 now belongs to Merle Frohms, the 27-year-old has established herself and it will be difficult to get past her. Not least at the European Championships in July, she was outstanding and made some spectacular saves on her way to the final against England. Of course, Schult would like to have that place again, but for her the focus was on something else: “It was about the game itself, to say I’ve won an international match again.”
Schult moved to the USA after the European Championship, but her debut for Angel City FC is yet to come. Playing there regularly would also be important with a view to the 2023 World Cup – before which Martina Voss-Tecklenburg sees opportunities for Schult. “It was a clear statement on our part to Almuth,” said the national coach. “We said we wanted to play a few more games before the World Cup and see that we can see our goalkeepers against better opponents. She’s a part of that.” Her team will play France in Dresden on October 7th, and a game against the world champions in the USA is planned for November. Almuth Schult wants to let all of this come to him. She has already achieved a major goal since Tuesday.
