Who Is Marie-Louise Eta, Union Berlin's 'Football Goddess'

Fighting for survival in the top tier of German football, Union Berlin sacked Steffen Baumgart and appointed Marie-Louise Eta as the interim head coach, making the 34-year-old the first female coach in charge of a men's team in the Bundesliga. Eta was appointed as interim coach with five games to go before the end of the season. Now it's four, after the 1-2 defeat at home against Wolfsburg. Her arrival at Alten Forsterei for the match, however, was a moment to savour. Berlin fans roared "Fussballgottin!” -- Football Goddess. Eta previously became the first female assistant coach in the men’s Bundesliga in 2023, also at Union, and had been coaching the under-19 men's team. Now, she's the first female coach across the top divisions of the “big five” European leagues. Before her, Helen Nkwocha became the first woman to coach a men's European top-division team in 2021 when she took over as head coach of Tvoroyar Boltfelag of the Faroe Islands.

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Updated on: 22 April 2026 5:58 pm

Updated on: 22 April 2026 5:58 pm

Published at: 22 April 2026 5:51 pm

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