Popp: Cup can be walk in park

The last time Germany striker Alexandra Popp played at a World Cup, she had to put her education on hold. Four years later, she is a fully qualified zookeeper and hopes to lead Germany to World Cup glory in France.

Popp, 28, took an extra six months to complete her threeyear course in zookeeping back in 2015, as she had to take time off for the Women’s World Cup in Canada, in which Germany reached the semifinals.

This year, the newly appointed Germany captain hopes to go one better and claim a third World Cup title for her country.

She admits that it will be “hard work”, but she has plenty of experience in that regard from her work with animals.

“It was very physical work [in the zoo], and I suffered in terms of recuperation,” she says, remembering her time balancing her down-to-earth education and her stellar football career. Speaking to reporters at the small zoo in Essehof where she completed her training in 2015, Popp insists that there are similarities between the animal kingdom and the football field. “It’s a bit like in a football team,” she says in front of the mongoose enclosure.

“The solidarity between them is primordial. In nature, everyone has to sacrifice themselves for others, and they communicate a lot, that’s the secret of group success.

“When you communicate with animals, body language is important, just like on the pitch.”

Body language and communication are paramount for Popp, a captain who leads Germany from the front as both the most senior player and the team’s star striker.

“Sometimes if others aren’t correcting their mistakes on the pitch, I can get quite loud,” admits the Germany captain.

A powerful, deadly force in front of goal, she has enjoyed a glistening career thus far, scoring 46 goals in 96 games for Germany and winning two Champions League titles with Wolfsburg.

This year, though, could prove to be the most significant of her career, with the World Cup arriving just months after she was made captain of the national team. Under new coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, Popp was nominated to succeed Lyon star Dzsenifer Marozsan, who voluntarily gave up the captaincy earlier in the season.

“I was already a senior player, so it wasn’t much of a change on the pitch,” says Popp.

“My dad was a footballer too and he had leadership qualities, so I think I was born with it.” She admits, however, that she still has some adjusting to do when it comes to her new role. “It is a bit different off the pitch, in terms of organisation. One thing is that I really need to learn English.

“Right now, I am just looking forward to leading Germany at a World Cup.”

The Germany captain knows that the pressure is on, but in the zoo at Essehof, she also has a foolproof way of clearing her head in the build-up to the World Cup.

“The animals are a great counterweight to football. I can sit in front of the monkey cage for two hours, and it just calms me down,” the Germany captain said.

If others aren’t correcting their mistakes on the pitch, I can get quite loud