Ann-Katrin Berger

Ann-Katrin Berger (born 9 October 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Germany national team, where she has been the number one since 2024. She has a well-known reputation as a penalty killer.

Early life

At the age of four, Berger began playing football in the KSG Eislingen. As a teenager, she moved to FV Faurndau. She played as a striker, midfielder and defender and only switched to the goal at the age of 16, joking she became "lazy to run," and "has grown" again.

Club career

In 2007, she moved up to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg. A year later, Berger moved to second division side, VfL Sindelfingen. In the summer of 2011, Berger signed a three-year contract with 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam in the Frauen-Bundesliga, the top division in Germany. She made her debut for the club on 21 August 2011 and shut out Hamburger SV 4–0. She made five appearances for the club during the 2011/2012 season playing a total of 450 minutes. Potsdam finished first in the league with an 18–2–2 record. She was the starting goalkeeper in three of Potsdam's 2011–12 UEFA Women's Champions League matches helping the squad earn shut-outs against Þór Akureyri and Glasgow City F.C.

Berger signed with Paris Saint-Germain in June 2014, playing 22 matches in all competitions during her two-year spell with the club. In June 2016, she joined Birmingham City.

In November 2017, Berger was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, for which she received treatment and was able to enter remission. During her battle with cancer, she had a desire to continue playing football. On 4 February 2018, she made her first appearance since being diagnosed with cancer in the Fourth Round of the 2017–18 FA Women's Cup in an away match against Reading. Birmingham won 1–0. With her strong determination she had a brilliant season, and as a result she won the PFA Team of the Year Award.

Berger continued her strong return in 2018, helping Birmingham City to a fourth-place standing after midway point of the 2018–19 FA WSL season. Having run down her contract at Birmingham City and rejected a new offer, she joined reigning champions Chelsea on 4 January 2019. Chelsea manager Emma Hayes signed her as part of the team rebuild even though Chelsea had three other goalkeepers on their roster.

In April 2021, Berger made title winning saves away against Manchester City in a 2–2 draw, as Chelsea fought to preserve their lead at the top of the table. Chelsea and manager Emma Hayes later won their 4th WSL title, the most by any WSL team, by 2 points on the final day of the 2020–21 season with a 5–0 victory over Reading. Chelsea broke the records for most wins (18) and most points (57) in a season, and became just the third team to defend the League title after Liverpool and Arsenal. Berger registered the most clean sheets (12), winning the ''Golden Glove''. On 23 August 2022 Berger announced, that she was suffering from thyroid cancer again. A little over a month later, on the 25 September, Berger made her comeback against Manchester City. In March 2023, Berger made the decisive save on Lindsey Horan's shot in the penalty shootout with Lyon, to take Chelsea to the semi-finals in the Women's Champions league.

In April 2024, it was announced that Berger had signed a one-year contract with an option for an additional year with Gotham FC. In September she extended her contract till 2026. In November 2024, Berger was ranked 25th, as the best goalkeeper worldwide by ESPN, in a list of the “Top 50 soccer players of 2024.” She was named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year.

On 25 May 2025, she started in the 2025 CONCACAF W Champions Cup final against Tigres, where Gotham won 1–0 to become the inaugural winners of the competition.

International career

Berger received her first call-up to the Germany national team in November 2018. She made her national debut on December 1, 2020 in the Euro 2022 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland.

She was named in the squad for Euro 2022, but did not play, as Germany finished as runners-up. In July 2023, she was named in the squad for the 2023 World Cup. She made no appearances and for the first time ever, Germany got knocked out after the group stage.

In July 2024, she got selected for the squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics and was promoted to the new number one for this tournament. During the penalty shootouts in the quarter-finals against Canada, she saved two shots from Ashley Lawrence and Adriana Leon before scoring the decisive penalty which qualified her nation to the semi-finals. In the bronze match against Spain she deflected a penalty in the ninth minute of added time and played a big part, why Germany won the bronze medal.

Personal life

Berger is openly lesbian, and since 2017 in a relationship with her Birmingham City, Chelsea, and Gotham teammate Jess Carter. They announced their engagement in May 2024.

Berger is an ambassador and co-founder of the Judan Ali Football Academy known as JAFA based in London and founded in 2019.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

1. FFC Turbine Potsdam
* Bundesliga: 2011–12
* DFB-Hallenpokal for women: 2014
Birmingham City
* Women's FA Cup: runner-up: 2016–17
Chelsea
* FA Women's Super League: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
* FA Women's League Cup: 2019–20, 2020–21
* Women's FA Community Shield: 2020
* Women's FA Cup: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
* UEFA Women's Champions League runners-up: 2020–21
Gotham FC
* CONCACAF W Champions Cup: 2024–25

Germany
* UEFA Women's Championship runner-up: 2022
* UEFA Women's Nations League third place: 2023–24
* Summer Olympics bronze medal: 2024

Individual
* Women's Super League Golden Glove: 2020–21
* FA WSL PFA Team of the Year: 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
* The 100 Best Female Footballers In The World: 67 (2020), 49 (2021), 32 (2024)
* The Best FIFA Goalkeeper: 3rd in 2021 3rd in 2022
* Women's Footballer of the Year (Germany): 2024
* Silbernes Lorbeerblatt: 2024
* NWSL Team of the Month: May
* NWSL Best XI: 2024
* NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year: 2024

References

External links

*

Ann-Katrin Berger
at Gotham FC

Ann-Katrin Berger
at 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam (archived)

Ann-Katrin Berger
at Paris Saint-Germain (archived)

Ann-Katrin Berger
at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived
alternate link

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Berger, Ann-Katrin
Living people
1990 births
Women's association football goalkeepers
1. FFC Turbine Potsdam players
Paris Saint-Germain FC (women) players
German expatriate sportspeople in France
Expatriate women's footballers in France
German women's footballers
German expatriate women's footballers
Expatriate women's footballers in England
German expatriate sportspeople in England
Women's Super League players
Birmingham City W.F.C. players
Première Ligue players
Chelsea F.C. Women players
Frauen-Bundesliga players
German LGBTQ footballers
German lesbian sportswomen
Germany women's international footballers
21st-century German LGBTQ people
Footballers from Göppingen
UEFA Women's Euro 2022 players
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup players
Gotham FC players
German expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate women's soccer players in the United States
National Women's Soccer League players
Footballers at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers for Germany
Olympic medalists in football
Olympic bronze medalists for Germany
Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Recipients of the Silver Laurel Leaf
21st-century German sportswomen