Bayern Frauen player Lea Schüller reveals how she deals with her newfound popularity

Lea Schüller has became a famous figure in German football as a crucial player of the team that narrowly lost to England in the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euros earlier this year. The 25-year-old Bayern Munich Frauen player appears to have handled everything well which was detailed in Bayern’s official website.

“It’s absolutely great. We were recently in the city and bought some pots. A girl came up and asked me for an autograph, which was sweet. Directly after the EURO it was extreme, I was being recognised and spoken to very often. It’s reduced again a bit since then, but that’s completely fine,” Schüller said.

Schüller was accompanied by her partner, Austrian pro sailor Lara Vadlau. This time, the 29-year-old was asked how a sailor gets noticed. Lara said that it depends on the country and what sports are known there. “It depends what country we’re talking about. New Zealand and Australia, for example, are big sailing nations. I get recognised there. When Lea walks through Munich, she gets recognised, not me - in New Zealand it would be the other way round,” Vadlau said.

Photo by Juan Lazkano/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

An athletic couple has its benefits if you ask Lea and Lara; the mutual understanding between them has been a crucial factor in their relationship. “I find it really helpful because both of us understand what you have to do for your sport, that you’re away a lot and don’t see each other that often,” Vadlau said. “Otherwise, it would be really hard.”

Schüller said that if she wasn’t an athlete, she would be able to spend more time with Vadlau. “If I wasn’t a sportswoman, we could see each other a lot more often. Lara’s just been away for two weeks, then I’m with the national team for 10 days, then she’s back on her travels,” Schüller said. “We often only see each other for three to five days at a time. It’s a bit like a long-distance relationship. Not because we live in different places — we live together in Munich — it’s just one of us is always away.”

Photo by MickAnderson/SAILINGPIX via Getty Images

That seems to be the case as both Schüller and Valdau will be on international duty, with the former heading to the Netherlands for the Allianz World Sailing Championships beginning on August 10, not long after the FIFA Women’s World Cup concludes.

“Unfortunately, at exactly the same time. It’s a shame: Lea is in Australia and New Zealand, and I’m in Holland,” Vadlau lamented. “We’ll be rooting for each other from a distance. For me, the World Cup is also about qualification for the Olympics. That’s my highest goal because I’m still missing an Olympic medal.”