Bayern Munich Frauen player Giulia Gwinn is still on the road to recovery. Back in October 2022, the 23-year-old has suffered her second anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, over two years since she tore her ACL in a game against the Republic of Ireland in 2020. In both cases, she was on international duty for Germany. It has affected both Gwinn and her teammates. “We stopped training. We, who are closer to Giulia, didn’t feel like training anymore”, teammate Lea Schüller said at the time of Gwinn’s injury.
In the latest episode of the “kicker meets DAZN” podcast, Gwinn appeared as a guest and shared her experiences on the second, long road to fitness.
It’s very tough, but I think I’ll be able to handle it better this time. My mom always says, ‘This time it’s not hard for you at all.’ That’s not true, but you just learn to deal with the situation and know what to expect.
(Continuation)
I came out of the hospital and couldn’t do anything – and then I had Corona first, that was the horror. I was allowed to put the crutches down and thought, now I’m going to rehab, let’s get started.
I was at home for another week, and I really thought that the ceiling was falling on my head, and I don’t know how to continue. But I think I quickly found the switch to switch.
Being a spectator is “the worst thing there is,” she said. And not just at the beginning, but for the whole last seven months: when you’re sitting on the sidelines and can’t influence things, when the girls on the pitch are helpless.
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A player would seriously consider retiring after suffering a second major injury, especially one that is rather repetitive. For example, men’s team player Lucas Hernandez considered giving up the sport when he injured himself against Australia in France’s World Cup exploits back in November (his mom talked him into continuing to play). For Gwinn, she never entertained the thought of retirement; she’s aiming to play in the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand!. “I didn’t think about that for a second. I could never give up because I’m just not done yet. Giving up is not an option,” she declared.
That is the right mindset there, and we hope to see Giulia back on the pitch!