The result of FIFA’s U-20 Women’s World Cup during the summer of 2010 announced to the world that the Germans were succeeding in youth development. After finishing third in the 2008 u-20 World Cup (USA winners), the Germans found success at home winning the 2010 U-20 World Cup. Whether a foreshadowing or merely a warning, the triumphs of the German youth showcase a crop of promising young potential superstars set to emerge as the phenomenal career of Birgit Prinz slowly winds to a close. Who will take her place? Take your pick. Alexandra Popp, Kim Kulig, and Fatmire Bajramaj are all poised to lead Germany into the next decade.
Prosperous teams need a solid foundation of highly technical and tactically smart central players within the game of soccer. The center midfielders are truly the backbone for any team. They must be creative and insightful offensively, yet able to transition into defensively slowing down the opponent’s offensive attack. A versatile midfielder, the young Kim Kulig has found success at both the defensive and attacking midfielder role.
Although relatively young, (born April 9, 1990) the 5’9 (1.76 m) Kulig has developed into a sensational midfielder at both the international and club level. With the German youth, Kulig’s 12 goals in 12 appearances at the U-19 level culminated with a third place finish at the 2008 U-20 World Cup illustrate her importance to the building of Germany’s future. Recently, she assisted the 2010 U-20 squad to the World Cup Championship, highlighted by her two goal performance in the semi-final match against Korea. Kulig debuted with the senior national team against China on February 25, 2009. With 17 appearances and three goals for the senior team and a member of the UEFA Women’s Championship 2009 team, Kulig is the real deal.
Currently, Kulig plays in the Frauen Bundesliga for her club team, Hamburg. Accepting the difficult role of leadership, Kulig understands that her experience and success has created the responsibility of “carrying the team.” After a brief rest due to an injured ankle, Kulig has returned “hungry” with renewed desire to lead the young Hamburg team to further success. Netting six goals for Hamburg this season, Kulig continues to impress soccer fans across the globe. If her ankle stays fit, watch for Kulig to make a valuable contribution to the 2011 German World Cup squad.
Mary Burns
Video uploaded from Adidasfussball You Tube channel
Recent article on Kulig:
http://dfb.de/index.php?id=500014&tx_dfbnews_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=25798&tx_dfbnews_pi4%5Bcat%5D=84
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