Alexandra Popp's journey to football greatness seemed predestined when, at 17, she joined Schalke 04 football school, becoming its sole female student among a roster of illustrious alums that included Mesut Ozil and Manuel Neuer.
While training with the Gelsenkirchen club youth men's side, she caught the attention of Germany's senior team selectors and received a contract offer from Duisburg in 2008.
In her debut season with Duisburg, she won the German Cup and the UEFA Women's Cup (now known as the UEFA Women's Champions League). After declining an offer from French giants Olympique Lyonnais, she moved to VfL Wolfsburg ahead of the 2012-13 season and has remained there ever since.
That would prove to be a historic campaign for the Lower Saxony club which had never previously won a major trophy. Wolfsburg won the Women's Bundesliga, the German Cup and beat Lyon in the UEFA Women's Champions League final to secure a famous treble.
Wolfsburg retained their league title in 2014 when Popp - primarily a striker but capable of playing in a number of positions when required - scored a late winner in the final match against nearest rivals 1.FFC Frankfurt. They also succesfully defended their Champions League by beating Swedish side Tyresö in the final. The Germans have made four final appearances since then but been beaten on each occasion.
Since their first triumph in 2013, Wolfsburg have won a record 11 German Cups with their only defeat coming in 2013-14. Their last of seven Bundesliga triumphs came in 2021-22 with Bayern Munich claiming the last two titles.
Alexandra Popp: International success
Popp helped Germany to victory in the 2008 U-17 European Championship, and the U-20 Women's World Cup in 2010 having already made her debut for the senior national team.
At the 2011 Women's World Cup, Popp made four appearances as a substitute with Germany going out in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Japan. Injury ruled her out of Germany's successful 2013 European Championship campaign, but she was called up for the 2015 World Cup in Canada. Her side reached the semi-finals, going out to champions the United States, and lost the third-place playoff to England.
On Popp's Olympic debut at Rio 2016, Germany won women's football gold for the first time. The Wolfsburg star played a key role in the campaign, scoring once and providing two assists.
At the 2019 World Cup, with Popp now captain, the side went out in the quarter-finals meaning they would not defend their Olympic title in Tokyo. But they returned to form at the 2022 European Championships with skipper Popp scored six times in the competition including netting both goals in the 2-1 semi-final win over France.
An injury in the warm-up forced Popp to miss the final with hosts England prevailing 2-1 in extra time. Beth Mead, who also scored six goals, claimed the top scorer award by virtue of her five assists to Popp's none.
In February, Germany beat the Netherlands to take third place in the UEFA Women's Nations League and secure a spot at Paris 2024. Popp will be hoping the side can pick up where they left off in Rio.