Africa’s Only World Cup Final Scorer, Nia Künzer, Still Making A Difference

In the 93-year history of men’s and women’s World Cups, only one World Cup final goalscorer was born on the African contintent. 20 years ago today, Nia Künzer headed in the only Golden Goal to ever win the tournament.

Nia Tsholofelo Künzer was born in Mochudi, Botswana in 1980, the daughter of German development workers on a two-year tour in the country. Her forenames are Swahili for ‘I can’ and ‘hope’. She later grew up in Hesse and began playing soccer at the age of five. In 1997, Künzer signed for German side SG Praunheim (later to become 1. FFC Frankfurt) after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury she sustained at the age of 15.

In 2003, a year after winning the UEFA Women’s Cup (now the Champions League) with her club, Künzer was part of the German squad which traveled to the United States to play in the fourth Women’s World Cup. She did start a match at the tournament but with the final match in Carson level at 1-1, the defensive midfielder was brought on shortly before the end of the match which went into extra-time.

At the time, the game was experimenting with a new format of settling tied matches in which the first team to score after the regulation 90 minutes would win, courtesy of a so-called ‘Golden Goal’. The idea was abandoned the following year but there was still time for Künzer to write herself into World Cup history eight minutes into overtime, powerfully heading home a Renate Lingor free kick, the only such goal to ever decide a World Cup final.

In the 22 men’s World Cups played, the final match has only ever been played by nations from Europe and South America. The nine Women’s World Cup finals have also involved teams from North America and Asia but no African team has yet made it to a World Cup final. Künzer is therefore the only African-born player to score in a World Cup final.

Speaking about her historic goal at a reunion of the team 20 years on, Künzer admitted that “the World Cup connects us forever. I’m always happy about the sequence of the Golden Goal and to see the cheering pictures. Stories also come up outside the pitch. These are all goosebumps moments that bring a smile to your face.”

The goal, which made Germany the first nation in history to win both the men’s and women’s World Cups, catapulted Künzer to stardom in her country. An estimated 13.6 million watched the game live on German television and the team returned home to a civic reception attended by 8,000 people in the Römer Square in Frankfurt. For winning the tournament, each player received €21,000 ($23,300) in prize money compared to the $270,000 offered this summer.

The header was the first scored by a woman to be voted the German ‘Goal of the Year’ in the 32-year history of the award by television network ARD. Three years later, ARD employed Künzer to work as a match summariser on the men’s World Cup in Germany after a fourth tear to her anterior cruciate ligament ended her international career.

Off the field, Künzer was no-less influential. Following in the footsteps of her parents, she supported aid and girls’ football projects in Namibia as a UNICEF ambassador. Working with NETZ, she advocated for girls’ education in Bangladesh and against the marriage of minors insisting that “the situation in developing countries will only change if we increase the level of education among girls.” She currently works for the Hessian Ministry of the Interior as a sports ambassador for her hometown state.

Speaking about her humintarian work for which she has won the Albert Schweitzer Prize in 2011, Künzer said “football can build bridges and open doors, it helps to break down prejudices and reduce violence – regardless of origin or culture. You can reach children and young people in particular through sports activities and impart values ​​and knowledge in a playful way. That’s why I support the use of football in development cooperation.”

After 17 years working as a pundit for German broadcasters, ARD, Künzer stepped down from her role this summer at the conclusion of this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. She said “in my very long time working exclusively for ARD as an expert, the right moment has now come to find a new time balance for my diverse life planning around my family, my professional challenges and for other exciting projects and collaborations.”