DFB captain Alexandra Popp supported her parents financially for many years. The national soccer player reports this in her autobiography, which is published today.
“Supporting you has become normal for me,” Popp explained in the book entitled: “Then I’ll show you on the pitch” (publisher Droemer Knaur). The 32-year-old said this in connection with negotiations with VfL Wolfsburg in 2012, where she still plays today.
The money simply had to be enough “so that I can get around easily and continue to give something to my parents. I’ve never stopped doing that over the years (…) and I know that the two of them are often tight financially . Everything I can get over, I give away.”
memories of childhood
When Popp once played with the juniors of 1. FFC Recklinghausen, her mother and her father, who has since died, who always supported their daughter in soccer, had to give up their butcher shop and file for personal bankruptcy.
“Mum and Dad explain to us a little bit more about everything that needs to be done to save as much money as possible. And then they say something that we never expected,” writes today’s soccer star about the moment when her parents told her and explained the difficult situation to her brother. “Dennis will have to give up some of his wages in the future – and I’ll have to give up my fare. We siblings look at each other with open mouths. That’s the amount!”
The time after the successful European Championships last year in England was very conflicting for Popp, given her father’s serious illness. “It’s the best of times, and it’s the worst of times. In the glittering aftermath of the European Championship, I’m experiencing moments I never dreamed of,” the autobiography reads.
“And again and again my heart jumps into a thousand pieces at the thought of dad.” After her first two World Cup goals in Australia in the 6-0 win over Morocco, the striker said that she also reminded her father of her father when she gestured with outstretched finger.
