Bayern Munich’s Lena Oberdorf Suffers Second ACL Rupture In 15 Months

FC Bayern and Germany’s star midfielder Lena Oberdorf has suffered a second ACL rupture in her knee in fifteen months which will rule her out for most of the season.

After 23 minutes of yesterday’s game at home to FC Köln, Oberdorf was unable to continue following a collision with Adriana Achcińska. She was immediately substituted by Momoko Tanikawa who scored an equaliser in first-half stoppage time as FC Bayern came from behind to eventually win by five goals to one.

In a statement released this afternoon, FC Bayern confirmed their fans’ worst season fears regarding Oberdorf. They said medical examinations today revealed a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. “Oberdorf will undergo surgery tomorrow, Tuesday, and will be out of action for the Munich women’s team for several months.”

The club’s Director of Women’s Football, Bianca Rech said “This news hits us all hard, and we feel for Lena. After her first injury, she worked hard and tirelessly on her comeback. It’s incredibly hard for her to now experience such a setback again. We stand fully by Lena’s side, will support her on her journey as best we can, and will be there for her in every way.”

Oberdorf signed for FC Bayern in February 2024 from their perennial domestic rivals VfL Wolfbsurg. The fee was $484,000 (€450,000) making her the most expensive German female player of all time and, still now, among the top fifteen transfers of all time.

She was not due to make the move until the end of that season but signed a long-term contract running until June 30, 2028. At the time, Rech declared that “Lena Oberdorf is one of the most talented players in Germany and has a bright future ahead of her.”

“We are very happy that we were able to convince Lena to join FC Bayern. We look forward to her playing for us starting this summer, as we are convinced that Lena, as a footballer, represents the values ​​we need to continue our success in the future.”

Selected for Germany’s squad to play at the Women’s Football Tournament at tbe Paris 2024 Olympics, Oberdorf played in their final match before the Games at home to Austria. Caught in the freshly laid turf at the stadium in Hanover, Oberdorf twisted her knee and was helped off the field.

Just nine days before the Olympics, Oberdorf was ruled out of the Games after it was confirmed that she had sustained a cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament injury. It was an injury which would eventually mean Oberdorf would play no part in the 2024/25 season for FC Bayern, failing to make a single appearance as her new club won the German league and cup double.

The year before, Oberdorf had also suffered an injury to her right knee playing for VfL Wolfsburg against Turbine Potsdam in March 2023. Then, she slipped while fighting for the ball and twisted her right knee. On that occasion, the diagnosis was merely a sprain after extensive medical examinations found no structural injury to the knee.

Voted as the best young player at UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, the 20-year-old Oberdorf was pivotal in Germany’s run to the final where they lost to England. Her direct opponent in that game was Georgia Stanway who described their confrontation as “a big-girl battle”. Now a team-mate of Oberdorf’s at FC Bayern, Stanway told me recently she still thought of her as ”a powerhouse” in midfield.

After thirteen months out, Oberdorf returned to action in pre-season for FC Bayern and made her official debut on August 30 in the German Super Cup against her old club Wolfsburg. Appearing as a second-half substitute, Oberdorf won a trophy at the end of her first appearance for the the club.

A week later, Oberdorf made her Bundesliga debut for FC Bayern as they kicked off their season playing at the Allianz Arena in front of a record German attendance for a women’s game. The weekend after that Oberdorf made her first start in over a year away to RB Leipzig, she scored twice within the first hour of the game.

Last week, Oberdorf was recalled to the squad for the German women’s national team ahead of their UEFA Nations League semi-final ties against France. She will now be unable to play those games, the third major tournament semi-final she has been forced to miss with Germany in a year and a half.