While some of her colleagues were led to the microphones and answered journalists’ questions, Jule Brand had something else in mind, some might say: something better. She met Alexia Putellas in the dressing room corridor of the Fritz Walter Stadium for a handover.
The two soccer players held each other’s jerseys in one hand and high-fived each other. “Thanks for the jersey,” Brand said in English, as seen in a video. And Putellas, a player for Spain’s national team and FC Barcelona, replied: “Good luck with Lyon, but not against us!”, to which Brand responded with “no, no!” reassured and smiled. In the Champions League, Barça leads the group stage with the same number of points as Brand’s club Olympique Lyon. The German seemed a bit shy; for her, Putellas is the best on the planet. And this two-time world footballer had just exchanged a gesture of mutual respect with her. With her!
Putellas may still be wondering whether they would have been better off carrying out this ritual this Tuesday in Madrid after the final second leg of the Nations League (6.30 p.m., ARD) instead of last Friday after the 0-0 draw in the first leg in Kaiserslautern. Brand’s self-confidence has been more than stable in the German national team for some time. And now this jersey exchange, which apparently was not spontaneously agreed upon, which in a certain way also reflects the 23-year-old’s status as an internationally established player. Brand has developed further, which also helps national coach Christian Wück. Brand plays an important role in his considerations about what should change after the European Championships. It is an integral part of the new axis.
In the summer, the offensive player on the right side formed the wing with Klara Bühl on the left. And it quickly became clear how much better the German game runs when these two can move freely. Brand stood out because she bravely went into duels and dribbled out the opponents and then pulled away. This position had become her territory since she was promoted from substitute to regular at the 2023 World Cup when Svenja Huth was forced to move into the defensive line. “Jule is a very lively player, you can hardly stop her dribbling,” said Bühl at the time. “She keeps going, that’s very important.”
It was hardly noticeable that Brand had no experience in this terrain
And yet, after the European Championships, the national coach decided to break up these harmonious counterparts and deploy Brand more centrally tactically. A reaction to the fact that he wanted to stay in the 4-2-3-1 system – but had identified a weak point: the playmaker position. During the entire tournament, Wück explained that no final pass from Linda Dallmann or Laura Freigang ended up in the penalty area. He wanted to interpret the ten differently, and Brand offered him a suitable player (“uncanny move to the goal with the ball”) for his consideration.
The fact that Brand had no previous experience in this terrain was hardly noticeable in the semi-finals of the Nations League against France. Brand continued to do her thing, perhaps even more freely than on the wing. Albeit with the same pitfall of sometimes sticking to the ball for too long and then losing yourself in activism. “I had a lot of fun. I like the position, I can be freer, move around a bit more everywhere,” said Brand afterwards. “I hope I get to play there a few more times.”
At least at the moment it doesn’t look like the national coach will be moving them back to the wing any time soon, where he recently used Carlotta Wamser and Selina Cerci. In the first leg of the final against Spain in her 68th DFB appearance, the game also worked with Brand on the ten, she created and had two good chances to score. In any case, Putellas was less pleased to meet Brand on the pitch than in the locker room. The German dribbled out of them more than once. At times she also managed to do this with Aitana Bonmatí; against two players who have a total of five Ballon d’Or. But only Putellas will be able to take revenge at the Estadio Metropolitano. Bonmatí broke his left fibula during training on Sunday and will be out for several months.
It was already apparent from her debut in April 2021 that Brand could become important for the national team. The then 18-year-old came on as a substitute after an hour, scored a goal a few minutes later and shortly afterwards provided the assist for the next goal. Her rise culminated in her being named the best U21 player in Europe in 2022. But soon after, things started to go wrong and she lost her lightness. By moving from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to VfL Wolfsburg, she took the next step to a Champions League club with strong competition. Your time there was characterized by fluctuations in performance, which director Ralf Kellermann said in 2023 Kicker-Interview finally publicly criticized. Brand has to work hard on herself if she wants to become a top player. The club helps her as much as possible, “but we cannot influence those around her.”
Brand contradicted the latter accusation, but otherwise the appeal had an effect, which made Brand’s game more consistent and aroused desire. She has been playing for Champions League record winners Lyon since summer 2025. Not everything is going well here either, her French is still shaky and she still has to fight her way out on the pitch in a squad that is one of the strongest in club football. But she’s part of it.
When DFB captain Giulia Gwinn said in a documentary about Jule Brand: “If Jule’s head hadn’t grown, she would have forgotten about it,” she replied calmly in agreement during the European Championships in Switzerland: “I would say that I might be a bit confused.” This may still apply to the nature of Jule Brand. But their football has become more mature. This is also reflected in the successful change of number 22 to the ten – and swapping jerseys with players like Alexia Putellas.