Tabea Sellner Makes Decision To Retire Aged 28 To Pursue Regular Life
WOLFSBURG, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 25: Tabea Sellner of Wolfsburg celebrates scoring her team's fifth ... More goal with teammates during the UEFA Women's Champions League 2nd Round 2nd Leg match between Wolfsburg and Fiorentina at AOK-Stadion on September 25, 2024 in Wolfsburg, Germany. (Photo by)
German international striker, Tabea Sellner (née Waßmuth) has today made the decision to retire from professional soccer this summer at the age of 28.
The VfL Wolfsburg forward played 25 times for her country, coming on as a second half substitute in the UEFA Women's Euro final at Wembley Stadium in 2022. Shortly after not being included in the German squad for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023, she announced that was expecting her first child and would not be available to play for the following season.
Sellner gave birth in April 2024 and successfully returned to play for Wolfsburg this season but with her contract due to end this summer, she has made the decision not to pursue her sporting career beyond this season.
Speaking to the VfL Wolfsburg website, Sellner admitted that she wanted to put her family first. 'Of course I considered whether I wanted to go abroad again with my family and our little one or gain other experiences. But in the end, that gut feeling stuck.'
"I'm very proud of my career and never would have thought I'd get to experience so much. And I think it's great that I was able to make the decision myself. I'm fine; I could have continued – but this feels exactly right. Now I'm looking forward to what life will bring."
Sellner recently also completed her doctoral thesis in sport's medicine but said for now she wants to weigh up her future options. 'We want to travel a bit first and not jump straight from one project to the next. It's important to me to have time to process everything and let it sink in."
"After that, we want to move closer to home and start our regular professional lives. . . I'm also looking forward to free weekends, to being able to take regular vacations, and to being more flexible.'
Sellner joined Wolfsburg from TSG Hoffenheim in 2021 and immediately made her mark, finishing as the second-highest scorer in the Frauen Bundesliga and also the second-highest goalscorer in the UEFA Women's Champions League. Her eight goals in six group stage games remains a competition record, with her performance in the winner-takes-all clash against Chelsea particularly memorable.
WOLFSBURG, GERMANY - DECEMBER 16: Tabea Wassmuth of VfL Wolfsburg celebrates after scoring her ... More team's third goal with teammates during the UEFA Women's Champions League group A match between VfL Wolfsburg and Chelsea FC Women at AOK-Stadion on December 16, 2021 in Wolfsburg, Germany. (Photo by Nico Paetzel/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
'Nobody expected it to go so well. I never would have thought I would play so much. The game against Chelsea, which we won 4-0, was an absolute highlight. But of course also the game against Barcelona, which was attended by over 91,000 spectators.'
Since becoming a mother last year. Sellner has been an outspoken advocate for the rights of mothers in Germany. In a country where breastfeeding in public is not legally protected, Sellner became an ambassador for the 'End discrimination against breastfeeding mothers' petition set up by FemTech brand Elvie.
Speaking to Vogue Germany last year, Sellner said that women's clubs need to devise a set of regulations on how to accommodate players who become pregnant. 'In my opinion, it would be important to establish certain procedures for pregnancies, which also exist for other training absences, such as a cruciate ligament tear. A kind of guideline that you can roughly follow.'
25 September 2024, Lower Saxony, Wolfsburg: Soccer, Women: Champions League - Qualification, VfL ... More Wolfsburg - ACF Florence, 2nd qualifying round, 2nd round, second leg, AOK Stadion. Wolfsburg's Tabea Sellner (r) celebrates with Wolfsburg's Sveindis Jonsdottir after her goal to make it 5:0. Photo: Swen Pförtner/dpa (Photo by Swen Pförtner/picture alliance via Getty Images)
In her comeback game from maternity leave last September, Sellner made a triumphant return. After coming on as a late substitute, she scored the final goal in a 7-0 Champions League win over ACF Fiorentina but, having been out of the team for 15 months, Sellner has found her opportunities to play have been limited this season.
She said "I still find it fascinating what the female body is capable of. It's truly impressive and wonderful to experience that a return to competitive sport after pregnancy is possible with the appropriate support, and so quickly. I'm proud that I was able to return to a top level."
"It was never my goal to be a role model in that sense. But of course, I'm happy if I can be a role model for future players who want to become mothers during their careers. That's a very nice thing."
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