Popp breaks silence, criticizes former Germany coach Voss-Tecklenburg

Five months after the shocking group stage exit at the women's World Cup last year, Germany captain Alexandra Popp criticized the behaviour of then coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.

The twice world champions surprisingly went out in the group stage for the first time. Voss-Tecklenburg has since left her job as coach after a period of ill-health.

"The whole thing didn't go perfectly. It was all difficult for me and the team to understand," Popp said in an interview with the Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung published on Friday, her first time speaking publicly after a long break.

The forward was referring to Voss-Tecklenburg's behaviour, who didn't report back to the players after the World Cup, but instead gave lectures at the Bavarian Dentists' Day, among other events.

"Of course I read about that and thought: That's funny. I don't want to deny it," said Popp.

She also talked about the stressful period following the World Cup and after her VfL Wolfsburg team failed to reach the group stage of the Champions League.

"At some point I couldn't hear or see myself any more," she said.

"To be honest, I had the feeling that my face came up in every topic. It didn't even have to be about Wolfsburg or the national team. People kept using quotes from me," Popp said.

As a result, "that was also reflected to a certain extent in my performance on the pitch. I no longer performed quite as well as I expected of myself."

Popp also became a popular face of German women's football after reaching the Euro 2022 final, in which Germany were defeated by England.

"The hype surrounding me has increased dramatically in recent years. I think you first have to grow with it," she said.