My Best XI: Anja Mittag

As part of a new series on WFC, Germany legend Anja Mittag is the first to talk through and offer an insight on her Best XI from her own playing career.

Anja Mittag scored 50 goals in 158 caps in an illustrious career for Germany which saw her win the 2007 World Cup, three European Championships and an Olympic gold medal.

She retired as the top scorer in the Champions League - at the time - and at domestic level won five Bundesliga titles, two Damallsvenskan’s and two Champions Leagues, the latter during her time with Turbine Potsdam.

As well as a whole host of individual honours, Mittag played with some incredible players and she picks out her Best XI and offers a unique insight into what made them so special…

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Goalkeeper

Nadine Angerer

I played with her all the way back at Turbine Potsdam and then with the national team, and for me she was always one of the best goalkeepers.

I was thinking before how I put the reasons together and then I looked at players I had good connections with and made me better and made the team better. For me, she was one of the best at her time, we had a good connection and she was the best goalkeeper for me.

She won so many trophies and I still remember when she saved two penalties in the Euro 2013 final against Norway. Even in 2007 at the World Cup, she didn’t concede a single goal, which was incredible. She was one of the best.

Defenders

Lina Nilsson

Maybe Lina isn’t that well known to some people, but I played with her during my time in Sweden and we had a really good connection because particularly in her attacking game she was very strong.

She could find me in attack with balls from defence like nobody else could. She was brave enough to play these passes and I think that’s why she made me better.

She was the creative one and it was a different style to the German players. There are other things too. I think in general German players are more technical but I think Lina was one of the exceptions, she was so good at it.

Annike Krahn

A German legend. We started in the under 19s together and we won the Under 19 World Cup together. Almost every tournament we played together and we retired almost at the same time. We followed each other for so many years and that’s the kind of history we have together.

I think a lot of opponents tried to look at Annike as the weakest link and maybe she wasn’t the most creative player, but she made what she did look really easy and she was one of the best and that made her so consistent.

Almost every tournament for so many years she was a starting player for us with Germany. She did the easy things good and she was a very consistent player.