Saskia Bartusiak

Saskia Bartusiak (born 9 September 1982) is a German retired footballer. She played as a centre back.

Career

Club

Bartusiak began her career at FV 09 Eschersheim. In 1996, she left the club to join FSV Frankfurt where she made her Bundesliga debut. After five years, she transferred to local rivals 1. FFC Frankfurt in 2005. Playing in central defence, Bartusiak has been an important player for FFC Frankfurt's success in the following years. She won two Bundesliga championships and three German Cup titles at the club. In the 2005–06 and 2007–08 season she also won the UEFA Women's Cup with Frankfurt.

International

Bartusiak made her debut in the German national team in a friendly against the Netherlands in April 2007. She was part of Germany's winning team at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, appearing in one match, the opening game against Argentina. Bartusiak has since been called up for all major tournaments for Germany. She again was a reserve player at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she won a bronze medal. At the 2009 European Championship, Bartusiak became a regular starter for Germany, winning her first European title. She has been called up for Germany's 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup squad.

She was named captain of the German team on 17 September 2015.

She announced her retirement from the national team in August 2016 after leading Germany to its first Olympic gold medal in women's football.