Lea Schuller discovered her passion for football in France

She scored six goals in as many qualifying games

Being described as a "beacon of hope" serves a source of motivation

France is a place of great significance for Lea Schuller - and not only because the country will host the FIFA Women's World Cup™ next year. In a way, it is where her career started, the setting where she discovered her passion for football.

"We went to France on holiday in 2004 and I watched the European Championship on television," the 21-year-old FIFA.com with a smile. "I evidently liked it so much that I signed up for the team in my village straight after the tournament. I don't have any siblings and my parents never played football, so I can't explain it really."

Nevertheless, Schuller clearly has talent in her genes, as she regularly demonstrates at club level for SGS Essen and also in the German national team. She scored six times in as many games during France 2019 qualifying, and even netted every goal in a 4-0 victory over Czech Republic. Interim head coach Horst Hrubesch also played an important role in that achievement.

"For me personally it was fantastic that Horst became our coach," the striker said. "He put his faith in me from the very start and gave me game time. I played the full 90 minutes in a lot of matches and then there was that game where I scored four. He always believed in me. In the first match he called me over to the touchline and said, 'now get another two or three', after I'd already scored one. He saw something in me that I perhaps hadn't even seen myself. He always got the best out of me."