Klara Bühl: Living in the Moment
In collaboration with Nike.
Klara Bühl is a very powerful forward and winger for Germany’s women’s football team. Her energy and enthusiasm for the sport inspire countless footballers, and she’s one of the youngest new leaders internationally.
This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This story was produced by Deborah Goldstein with sound design and mixing by Mumble Media. It was written and edited by Abby Sher. Fact-checking by Joe Rhatigan. Narration by Kathrin Spielvogel. Joy Smith was our executive producer. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. Thank you to the whole Rebel Girls team who make this podcast possible. Stay rebel!
Transcript
| It was a hot day in July, 2022, and Klara Bühl, a young and very powerful winger and forward for Germany’s national football team, was sprinting down the pitch. She’d felt so powerful this entire match — bobbing and weaving past opponents, bounding toward the goal.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the captain of her team passing the ball. It sped towards Klara and SFX: Kick Her kick missed the mark! Klara was crushed. But there was no time to wallow in it. They had a game to win. This was international football at its finest. This was Klara’s dream come true! |
| I’m Kathrin Spielvogel. And this is Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls.
A fairy tale podcast about the real-life rebel women who inspire us. On this episode, Klara Bühl, German football superstar and powerhouse player for the top women’s league in Germany. |
| Klara Gabriele Bühl was born December 7, 2000 in Münstertal, Germany. Münstertal is a stunning place with lush valleys, majestic mountain ranges, and the deep Black Forest. For Klara, this meant lots of time exploring nature. She always found something to do outside, running, skipping, and trailing after her older brother.
Klara’s brother loved football, and so she decided that she did too. She looked up to her brother and to many of the male footballers she watched on television, because they were the only ones making headlines. Little did Klara know that there was a growing movement of strong female footballers, and that she would soon be one of their leaders. |
| As a kid, Klara played on lots of different football teams. Early on, it became clear that she was very talented, and she always seemed to be having fun on the pitch. Her energy and enthusiasm were infectious as she danced and floated, laughing one minute then blasting a shot on goal the next. While some players favored one foot over the other, Klara was two-footed, which means she could shoot equally strong on the right and left.
In the spring of 2014, Klara made her debut for Germany’s national team. The following year, she had her first match for the biggest German football league, the Bundesliga, and her team won! Klara loved playing with her team, learning the ins and outs of how each player communicated and passed. And the bigger the crowd watching, the stronger she felt. It was like a current of energy ran from the fans in the stands to the turf beneath her feet. Klara felt a jolt of adrenaline pushing her forward, urging her to dive in fully and courageously. She scored goal after goal, getting promoted to international teams and traveling the world! |
| Which is how she found herself at age 21, charging down the wing and trying to get that pass from her team’s captain. Though she missed that particular shot, she made so many others during the match. In fact, she created fourteen opportunities to score, which was more than anyone else there that day. Reporters and coaches were calling her the Player of the Match and talking about how — with just a few more matches to go — she could become Player of the Tournament.
But before that next match even started, Klara realized something was wrong. She tested for Covid 19 and found out that she was positive and would have to isolate. Klara was so upset. She’d come so far — giving her all for this international tournament and hopeful victory. And now her body was clearly saying, it’s time for a break. For now, she had to rest, and let whatever happens, happen. |
| Rebels, Klara’s story is far from over. In fact, it’s really just beginning. She’s recovered fully from Covid and is once again dancing down the pitch, shooting on goal and sharing her laughter the whole way. She’s also very excited for the future of women’s football and all that has been achieved since she was a little girl trailing after her brother.
But most of all, Klara is delighted to be exactly where she is today. As she says, “I just enjoy the time and have firmly resolved to always live in the moment, because I can only really make a difference in the here and now.” It’s a beautiful outlook on life, and an inspiration for us all. Because the here and now is a pretty great place to be. |