End of suffering: Goosebumps comebacks from Oberdorf and Gwinn: “Really missed”

Oberdorf, on the other hand, tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee for the second time in 15 months in October 2025 and was able to enjoy a part-time role on Monday evening in the 2-0 (1-0) on the second Bundesliga matchday against promoted team FSV Mainz 05. When the midfielder was allowed to return to the beloved soccer field on campus in the 72nd minute, Gwinn had already been substituted – but was still extremely emotional.

Bouquet of flowers from girlfriend

The captain of the German national team admitted that she became emotional, as she did with her own goal in the 39th minute. “It’s incredibly nice. When you’ve been away for a while, it’s just nice to be back on the pitch with the girls.” Gwinn had nothing but respect for Oberdorf. “She has grown enormously, especially as a person, but of course she is already helping us on the pitch,” praised Germany’s “Footballer of the Year”.

How special this evening was on the FC Bayern campus was illustrated by a special gift that Oberdorf was able to hold in his hands after the final whistle. The Spanish-born Natalia Padilla Bidas, formerly active in Munich and a national player for Poland, had a bouquet of flowers delivered to the stadium for her partner.

“It’s an indescribable feeling, I had tears in my eyes when I was substituted on and had to pull myself together for a moment,” Oberdorf told the TV channel Sport1 after Vanessa Gilles (90th + 1) scored the final point of the game shortly before the end. “It’s incredibly nice to be back with the team, to be able to follow the routine again and to have a game where something is at stake. I really missed it.”

The national coach is relieved

Of course, José Barcala also missed his exceptional duo. “With Giulia and Lena we have significantly more quality in the team. You can imagine how happy and happy we are to have their quality back,” said the Bayern coach after Munich’s 44th unbeaten Bundesliga game in a row, which equaled the club’s own record.

“That’s what remains today, that players were able to make their comebacks and that we were able to take three points,” said the director of the Munich women’s football department, Bianca Rech. National player Franziska Kett (ankle injury) is also expected to start training again soon, while Sarah Zadrazil (torn cruciate ligament) is “in the starting blocks”.

National coach Christian Wück was not in the stadium. He was also able to receive the comeback news with great relief. “I’m very happy to see Obi and Giuli back on the pitch,” said Wück. “It is now important for both of them to stay fit and healthy. I am sure that they will then find their way back to their old strength.”

Radiance of Gwinn and Oberdorf

Gwinn is expected to return to Wück’s squad for the friendly matches on October 9th in Karlsruhe against Australia and on October 13th in Bremen against Japan. At Oberdorf, everyone involved is cautious about stress and playing time given their injury history. She missed the 2024 Olympics because of her first cruciate ligament tear. Due to a lack of match practice, Wück did not nominate her for the 2025 European Championships in Switzerland.

The return of Gwinn and Oberdorf is also important for the Bundesliga: After other national players such as Carlotta Wamser (from Bayer Leverkusen to Manchester City) moved to England and Alexandra Popp (from VfL Wolfsburg to regional league team Borussia Dortmund) no longer plays in the upper house, the Bayern duo is one of the players with the greatest appeal. Not least emotionally.