Legionnaire Höbinger:

“The Liverpool myth gripped me immediately”

Höbinger plays in front of full stands in England(Bild: FC Liverpool)

ÖFB team player Marie-Therese Höbinger feels the fascination of Liverpool in all its facets. The 22-year-old has been under contract with the Reds' women's team since the summer. "The club is omnipresent in the city."

"I experience extreme appreciation. To experience that as a woman is indescribable..." When Marie-Therese Höbinger talks about her club, Liverpool FC, she can't stop raving about it. "The LFC myth gripped me immediately," beams the midfielder, who moved to the Mersey from Zurich in the summer.

Höbinger is one of the Reds' key players(Bild: FC Liverpool)

"Even when it's not a match, people walk around the city wearing shirts. There are Jürgen Klopp bars, lots of paintings of players on the houses. The club is omnipresent," said the player from Hinterbrühl, who fell in love with her new home straight away. The excellent conditions were probably one of the reasons. After the men moved to the new training center in Kirkby, the ladies inherited the huge training area in Melwood. "You want for nothing here." They play on the outskirts of Liverpool, in the Tranmere Rovers stadium.

"Really goosebumps"
The 22-year-old, who once played for Stadlau, still has unforgettable memories of the venerable Anfield Road. "Our city derby against Everton was played there. When the stands fill up and the anthem 'You'll never walk alone' plays, you really get goosebumps." He rarely comes into contact with the male stars. "I met Elliott, Salah and Diaz at a photo shoot. They were very nice, but they're pretty isolated."

The 22-year-old scored the 1-0 golden goal against Bristol(Bild: FC Liverpool)

The women are well on their way there. In 2021, the pay-TV broadcasters SKY and BBC paid a whopping 18 million euros for the broadcasting rights to the Women's Super League. "You don't have to fight to be accepted here. I also played in Germany, England is a different world," said Höbinger, who won the 2013 "Krone" Indoor Cup with Polgargymnasium and recently scored her fifth league goal in the 1-0 win against Bristol - and is one of the mainstays of the fifth-placed team.

The Hinterbrühler player was also allowed to play at Anfield(Bild: FC Liverpool)

"It's nice when the hard work pays off," she was honored as player of the month in October. "I'm very happy with my performances." The Reds' performances seem mixed to outsiders. "The club was only promoted two years ago and has established itself well. But of course, as LFC you want to chase titles in the medium term ..."