Sarah Mattner & the calm between the peaks | OneFootball

Before Sarah Mattner talks about tactics, positions or titles, she likes to talk about quiet. About mountain lakes. About the feeling of putting your phone in airplane mode. About places where nothing is loud. When you listen to the 23-year-old, you quickly notice: the new FC Bayern Women player doesn’t like to make a grand entrance. She seeks clarity – in thought, in life and on the pitch.

She describes her first weeks in Munich as very positive. A lot of things are new, a lot are unfamiliar, but she’s immediately felt one thing: this environment suits her. “It’s very professional, very structured – and still homely,” she says. That mixture is exactly what she expected before her move. The fact she already knew a number of her teammates from the German youth teams also made her arrival easier. Far more important, however, was the way the whole team received her.

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A sunny personality

“I’d class myself as a sun person.” It’s a line that seems simple at first but reveals a surprising amount about Sarah. Mattner describes herself as always positive and as someone who likes to laugh. Bad mood doesn't seem to be part of her nature. Instead, she exudes a calm confidence, a trait that runs through many areas of her life.

For Sarah, switching off doesn’t always mean Netflix or social media. It means mountains. As a child, she would often go to the Alps with her family. Nowadays, she still looks for something there that is often missing from the day-to-day life of a professional footballer: calm. “When I’m in nature, I put my phone in airplane mode,” she reveals. While many head to the beach for relaxation, she goes where only wind, water and trees can be heard. These moments are much more than relaxation for her; they provide balance.

Between Vienna and Munich

Mattner was born on 11 May 2003 in Vienna, and still has a place in her heart for her home city. The architecture, the green spaces, the quality of life: to her, Vienna remains one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. But for the sake of her career, she endured long commutes. During her time at SKN St. Pölten, she regularly travelled back and forth between Vienna and St. Pölten. An hour-and-a-half journey each way was part of her everyday life, mainly due to her medical studies, which she completed alongside her professional career. Now a new chapter begins in Munich. Her flat is still rather modestly equipped: there’s a mattress but lots of other things – a sofa, a dining table – are still missing, Mattner explains with a smile. It’s the little details that show how a new life gradually takes shape.

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Football and medicine – two passions

Nothing sums up Sarah Mattner better than her remarkable path alongside football. She knew from an early age that she wanted to study medicine, so for three years she studied at the same time as playing professional football – a balancing act that required discipline and organisation. She’s already completed the bachelor’s degree. Her studies are currently on hold so that she can fully concentrate on FC Bayern.

She repeatedly emphasises how much both worlds have benefited from each other. When things didn’t go perfectly on the pitch, she found new motivation in her studies. When her head was full after long days of studying, football helped her unwind. She already knows what she wants to do after her career – a privilege that not every professional athlete has.

Three cultures, one clear identity

Born in Austria to a French mother and German father, Mattner speaks fluent French, grew up in Vienna and yet feels clearly connected to Germany. It was almost an accident that she found her way into the German youth teams. Only on arrival at an ÖFB (Austrian Football Association) Academy camp did it become apparent that she didn’t possess Austrian citizenship, and the DFB (German Football Association)  became aware of her. Since then, she’s passed through virtually ever German youth team, winning the Nordic Cup with the U16s and being recognised with the Fritz Walter Medal in 2022 before receiving her first call-up to the senior team in April 2026.

Next step at Bayern

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From First Vienna FC via SKN St. Pölten to FC Bayern, Mattner’s path has never travelled in a straight line but has always been guided by deliberate decisions. At the age of 23, she brings titles, international experience, tactical flexibility and impressive maturity to Munich. But when people meet Mattner, their first thought is often not her achievements. Instead, they remember the young woman who would rather talk about mountain lakes than statistics; who would rather talk about peace than fame. Perhaps that is precisely where her greatest strength lies. For in a world that is moving faster and faster, Sarah Mattner has found her own rhythm. 

You can buy tickets for FCB Women’s friendly against Unterhaching on 9 August here:

Ticket sales have begun: FCB Women take on Paris FC in Unterhaching

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From the rear-view mirror to the future: introducing van Eijk & Proost