Soccer (Football)
Level up: the march to a century of caps for Sarah Zadrazil
Bayern Munich midfielder Sarah Zadrazil made a landmark 100th appearance in Austria’s quarter-final against Germany.
Sarah Zadrazil has been a lynchpin of the Austrian national team for well over a decade.
From playing with the boys until the age of 14 to training to be a kindergarten teacher and then earning a scholarship in the United States, she has climbed the ranks of European and world football. Here, she walks us through the various stages of her journey to approaching the 100 mark at international level.
01
All boys club
With no female team to play for in her home town of St Gilgen in Austria, she joined her older brother’s side and ended up playing alongside boys solely until the age of 14.
“In my neighbourhood, there were only boys and so we always only played football, and that is how I got into it. It didn’t bother me at the time. I was accepted as part of the team and I was one of the best players. Looking back, it was positive for me as, when you are young, you can learn a lot from boys.”
Out of this world skills
© Markus Berger/Red Bull Content Pool
Looking back, it was positive for me as, when you are young, you can learn a lot from boys
02
Unique commute to school
As journeys to school go, Zadrazil’s was quite unusual. Having learned how to ride a unicycle as a child, she chose it as her mode of transport to the classroom each and every day. It was also a tool for sports training, although not for football.
“I used to go to school in my hometown on the unicycle when I was about 12 or 13. It was part of co-ordination and balance training for skiing. I think I can still do it. I can even juggle on the unicycle.”
03
Kindergarten ambitions
Studying as a teenager, her ambition was to become a kindergarten teacher even though her loyalty was split between studying until the early evening every day and then heading to football training.
“I was at school until six, then going to training and then having to go home and study more. It took up a lot of my time and I did think to myself sometimes ‘oh dear, I’ve got to go to another away game this weekend whereas everyone is doing something else. But the bottom line is that it was all worth it. I think that is the most important thing – to never forget why you are doing something.”
04
Living in America
Such was her footballing prowess back in Austria that, at the age of 19, she was offered the opportunity of a college scholarship in the United States to play football.
“I was the first Austrian to get a college scholarship. It was a huge step. When the offer came, I thought to myself ‘this is really cool’ – America, women’s football – you always hear good things. We went to the college and I was immediately impressed in the way they were developing football and the opportunities that were there.”
Ready to play
© Markus Berger/Red Bull Content Pool
I was immediately impressed in the way they were developing football and the opportunities that were there
05
Off to the Bundesliga
Zadrazil shone from the outset in the US. In her first year, she tied the record for single-season assists for a freshman. The following year she was named Player of the Year after scoring eight goals and adding 11 assists. Her time playing in the US led to an offer from the Bundesliga with Turbine Potsdam.
“After that, I went to the German Bundesliga. I knew I could play really well and that I had huge potential but it was never the case that I said to myself ‘I have to go professional’. It just happened because I focused on doing what was important to me and what I loved.
06
Semi-finalist
Her first international call-up came as a teenager and she has been virtually ever-present for her country since then. The pinnacle to date at international level was the 2017 European Football Championships where she was an integral part of the Austrian side which made it to the last four.
“I’ll never forget that tournament. The experience of being the underdog then making it to the semi-final and seeing a whole country become euphoric. Up to then, no one had been interested in women’s football but then 12,000 people watched us in the semi-final in the public viewing area in Vienna.”
07
Footballer of the year
In the summer of 2020, she made a big move to Bayern Munich agreeing a three-year deal with the Bundesliga giants. In her first season, she helped them win the league title and also played in the Champions League, reaching the semi-finals.
“I had never played in the Champions League before and then I was playing a semi-final against Chelsea in London, and even scored a goal. Those are moments I will never forget. The German championship title is a special title for women’s football, and I’m happy that things are going really well at Bayern.”
Lots more to come from Sarah Zadrazil
© Markus Berger/Red Bull Content Pool
No one had been interested in women’s football but then 12,000 people watched us in the semi-final in the public viewing area in Vienna
08
Nomination for goal of the season
Her long-range goal in that Champions League semi-final also saw her make the shortlist for the UEFA Goal of the Season.
“In general, I don’t score many goals. I scored two goals last season and both were nominated for Goal of the Month in Germany and then there was the Goal of the Season nomination from UEFA. I think that is something really special. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get us into the Champions League final.”
09
The century for Austria
The 100th game of her international career came in the quarter-finals of the European Football Championships on July 21 2022, where she became only the fourth Austrian woman to reach the milestone.
"It means a lot to me that I will play my 100th game for my country and I’m super proud," she said prior to the match. "But I’m also just amazed to see how far women's football has come since my first game and I’m thankful that I have been part of such a development. I really hope that this amazing sport just keeps growing and that there will be more and more girls who fall in love with that beautiful sport like me!“