View source for Nia Künzer

{{Short description|German footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = Nia Künzer
| image          = 2025-04-08 Fussball, UEFA Women's Nations League, Deutschland - Schottland STP 2327.jpg
| caption        = Künzer in 2025
| fullname       = Nia Tsholofelo Künzer<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nia Künzer|url=http://www.nia-kuenzer.de/content/nia/sport-karriere|accessdate=13 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150308144059/http://www.nia-kuenzer.de/content/nia/sport-karriere|archive-date=8 March 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1980|1|18|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Mochudi]], [[Botswana]]
| height         = 1.68 m
| position       = [[Defender (association football)|Defender]], [[Midfielder#Defensive midfielder|Defensive midfielder]]
| youthyears1    = 
| youthclubs1    = [[Eintracht Wetzlar]]
| youthyears2    = 
| youthclubs2    = [[VfB Gießen]]
| years1         = 1997
| clubs1         = [[Eintracht Frankfurt (women)|SG Praunheim]]
| caps1          = 4
| goals1         = 0
| years2         = 1998–2008
| clubs2         = [[Eintracht Frankfurt (women)|1. FFC Frankfurt]]
| caps2          = 111
| goals2         = 22
| nationalyears1 = {{0|0000}}–1997
| nationalteam1  = [[Germany women's national under-21 football team|Germany U-21]]
| nationalcaps1  = 19
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1997–2003
| nationalteam2  = [[Germany women's national football team|Germany]]
| nationalcaps2  = 34
| nationalgoals2 = 2
}}
'''Nia Tsholofelo Künzer''' (born 18 January 1980) is a retired [[Germany|German]] women's football player.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news.de/promis/856367601/nia-kuenzer-privat-verheiratet-mit-mann-in-familie-mit-kindern-fussballerin-ard-expertin-frauenfussball-em-2022-golden-goal-instagram/1/|title=Nia Künzer privat: Vom Fußballplatz in die Politik! Das macht die Ex-Nationalspielerin heute|website=News.de|date=6 July 2022 }}</ref>

==Early life==
She was born in [[Mochudi]], [[Botswana]], as Nia Tsholofelo Künzer (her first name being [[Swahili language|Swahili]] for "aim" or "intention" and her second name being [[Tswana language|Tswana]] for "hope"), where her parents were on a two-year tour with a development aid organization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uni-giessen.de/de/ueber-uns/alumni/karrierewege/kulturundsport/kuenzer|title=Nia Künzer|website=Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen}}</ref> She grew up in the Albert-Schweitzer-Kinderdorf (children's village) in [[Wetzlar]]-Garbenheim, alongside her brother and seven foster children. After the Abitur, she did a year of practical training in social work in a [[kindergarten]] for handicapped children. In 2008, she completed a degree in education science (German title ''Diplompädagogin'') at the [[Justus Liebig University Giessen]].<ref>https://www.uni-giessen.de/de/fbz/zentren/zfbk/alumni/karrierewege/kulturundsport/kuenzer{{Dead link|date=November 2025 | fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

==Career==
[[File:Nia Künzer FFC Frankfurt.jpg|thumb|Nia Künzer, DFB Cup in Aschheim 24.03.2008]]
 
Having a history as a [[high jump]]er, and after being a member of football clubs Eintracht [[Wetzlar]] and VfB [[Gießen]] she was with [[Eintracht Frankfurt (women)|1. FFC Frankfurt]] (1st Frankfurt Women's Football Club) starting 1997. She played as a defender or midfielder. Künzer retired in July 2008 from professional football after an injury.

==International career==
Künzer was part of the [[Germany women's national football team|German women's national football team]] at the [[2003 FIFA Women's World Cup|2003 World Cup]]. Her "golden goal" in the final match against Sweden made Germany the winner of the tournament with a result of 2-1.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Women's National Team :: National Teams :: DFB - Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. |url=https://www.dfb.de/en/national-teams/womens-national-team/#:~:text=On%20October%2012th%202003,%20it,the%20Germany%20women%27s%20national%20team. |access-date=2023-08-02 |website=www.dfb.de}}</ref> The goal was to become the first ever women's "[[Goal of the Year (Germany)|Goal of the Year]]" in the history of German football.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2015-06-09 |title=See the Top 8 Moments in Women's World Cup History |url=https://time.com/3907383/womens-world-cup-extraordinary-moments/ |access-date=2023-08-02 |magazine=Time |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nia Künzers "Golden Goal" zum Tor des Jahres 2003 gewählt |url=http://www.dfb.de/news/detail/nia-kuenzers-golden-goal-zum-tor-des-jahres-2003-gewaehlt-1708/ |access-date=2023-08-02 |website=DFB - Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. |language=de}}</ref> In 2004, the [[International Football Association Board]] (IFAB) voted to abolish the "golden goal" rule (taking effect on 1 July 2004), and the tie-breaking format was established, with teams playing two straight 15-minute extra time periods before the game goes to penalty kicks.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-03-01 |title=Uniformity on extra time and penalty shoot-outs |url=https://www.oceaniafootball.com/archives-2325/ |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=Oceania Football Confederation |language=en-US}}</ref> Künzer's winning goal is the only "golden goal" to decide a Women's World Cup final.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fact Sheet: Golden Goal statistics – But en or statistiques – Gol de oro estadísticos – Golden Goal Statistiken |url=https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/6c7058c2f0942d0c/original/oplk7hr2puk3zdponqst-pdf.pdf |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=FIFA.com |publisher=FIFA}}</ref>

She actively promotes the idea of women's soccer and helps in recruiting from the next generation of enthusiastic young girls.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.volksfreund.de/sport/fussball/frauen/interview-mit-nia-kuenzer-das-macht-mich-nachdenklich_aid-39202491|title=Interview mit Nia Künzer: "Das macht mich nachdenklich"|first=Marek|last=Fritzen|date=June 3, 2019|website=Volksfreund}}</ref>

During the winter of 2003/2004 she had to pause for several weeks due to one more [[cruciate ligament]] injury, which meant she was not available for the [[Olympic Games]] 2004 in [[Athens]], [[Greece]]. A fourth [[cruciate ligament]] injury forced Künzer to resign from the national team in 2006.

==TV career==
Künzer also works as a TV sports commentator.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dwdl.de/nachrichten/6310/weltmeisterin_nia_knzer_ist_neue_ardexpertin_fr_frauenfuball/|title=Weltmeisterin Nia Künzer ist neue ARD-Expertin für Frauenfußball|first=DWDL de|last=GmbH|website=DWDL.de}}</ref> She is [[Das Erste]]'s main pundit for their comprehensive coverage of games involving the national team as well as for major women's tournaments like World Cups, Euros and the Algarve Cup.

==Career statistics==
===International goals===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! No. !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
|-
| 1. || 25 October 2001 || [[Wolfsburg]], [[Germany]] || {{fbw|POR}} || align=center|'''2'''–0 || align=center| 9–0 || [[2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (UEFA)|2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification]]
|-
| 2. || 12 October 2003 || [[Carson, California|Carson]], [[United States]] || {{fbw|SWE}} || align=center|'''2'''–1 || align=center| 2–1 {{aet}} || [[2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final|2003 FIFA Women's World Cup]]
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.nia-kuenzer.de/ Nia Künzer] (personal homepage)
* [https://www.dfb.de/dfb-team/frauenmannschaft/team/e_kuenzer.html Deutscher Fußball-Bund (German Soccer Assn)] (portrait Nia Künzer)
* [http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/03/de/t/pl/191374.html FIFA Women's World Cup] (portrait Nia Künzer, in German)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081121002213/http://sandiegocitysearch.com/sports/soccer/20031013-9999_1s13wwcup.html The San Diego Union-Tribune] ("Heads-up Germany stuns Sweden" &ndash; October 13, 2003)
* [http://www.wdr.de/cgi-bin/mkram?pnm://ras02.wdr.de/online/2003/sport/fussball/frauenfussball/ankunft_wm_fussballerinnen.rm Westdeutscher Rundfunk] (audio in German: "Arrival in Frankfurt" &ndash; October 14, 2003)
* {{IMDb name|id=2119306|name=Nia Künzer}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Germany Squad 2003 Women's World Cup}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunzer, Nia}}
[[Category:1980 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Wetzlar]]
[[Category:Footballers from Giessen (region)]]
[[Category:University of Giessen alumni]]
[[Category:German women's footballers]]
[[Category:Germany women's international footballers]]
[[Category:Eintracht Frankfurt (women) players]]
[[Category:Frauen-Bundesliga players]]
[[Category:2003 FIFA Women's World Cup players]]
[[Category:FIFA Women's World Cup–winning players]]
[[Category:Women's association football defenders]]
[[Category:Women's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:People from Kgatleng District]]
[[Category:UEFA Women's Champions League–winning players]]
[[Category:21st-century German sportswomen]]