Injury shock at the European Championships: Gwinn is limping, Bayern provides support!

Injury shock at the European Championships: Gwinn is limping, Bayern provides support!

The German national team recently celebrated an opening win against Poland at the 2025 European Women's Football Championship in St. Gallen, but the celebration was overshadowed by a serious injury. DFB captain Giulia Gwinn had to leave the field after just a few minutes when she injured her knee while blocking a shot from Ewa Pajor and got her knee stuck in the grass. Despite a brief comeback, she eventually had to abandon the game and cried in the center circle. The game ended with a 2-0 win for Germany, scored by Jule Brand (52nd minute) and Lea Schüller (66th minute), in front of 15,972 spectators in the stadium. National coach Christian Wück commented on the victory as a "bitterly bought victory" due to Gwinn's injury, which was classified as potentially serious during the subsequent examination.

The background to Gwinn's situation is extremely dramatic. Her knee is currently being evaluated for a possible anterior cruciate ligament injury, an injury that has occurred twice in her career. These first two cruciate ligament tears occurred in 2020 and 2022, but the 26-year-old fought back in each case and recently celebrated great success with Bayern Munich, where she won the championship and the double in the last two years. After a long injury break, she also missed the 2023 World Cup, but returned fit to the team in August 2023. Gwinn has great ambitions, especially ahead of the European Championships, and has earned an excellent reputation as captain of the team.

The reaction of FC Bayern Munich

Herbert Hainer, President of FC Bayern, said from 7,500 kilometers away that his thoughts were with Gwinn. He emphasizes that the club will offer her full support during this difficult period in order to promote her return to the pitch as quickly as possible. In an interview with BILD he explained that he hoped the injury was not serious. Hainer praised Gwinn's strong personality and spoke of her remarkable ability to overcome difficult times. This resilience is also evident in her biography “Write Your Own Story.” He recalled that after her first two injuries, she was cared for by Bayern to ensure she received the best medical support.

The risks associated with ACL injuries, which are particularly common in football, are particularly noteworthy. Such injuries can occur multifactorially and are often the result of movements such as braking or changing direction that immobilize the knee. According to reports on the frequency of injuries in sports, footwear and the surface also play a crucial role as they can increase the risk of damage to the knee.

An MRI appointment to closely examine Gwinn's knee is scheduled for Saturday. The fans and supporters of the German national team are hoping for good news and hope that their captain will soon be fit again to pursue her ambitions and dreams in the remaining tournament.