Schüller accepts responsibility, but won't replace Germany great Popp

Forward Lea Schüller doesn't want to be compared to Germany women's national team great Alexandra Popp.

"I will never replace an Alexandra Popp. I'm not the captain type, I'm simply not like Poppi," she said ahead of the Euro 2025 quarter-finals against France on Saturday.

But she doesn't see herself as a lone player either.

"I have the third most international caps, so I really am one of the older players. That's simply what has changed. I have to pass on my experience, I have to take on responsibility," she said.

Schüller has scored two goals in the competition so far, hopes to improve that tally and help her team reach the semi-finals.

"We want to bring Lea into the game, she's an incredibly important player who scores goals with very few touches," midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken said.

"If we can improve the quality of our crosses and set Lea up better, then we hope she'll score more goals," she added.

Popp herself believes that Schüller brings everything to the table.

"She's extremely quick - I'm not -, two-footed and also strong with her header. With her speed, she has a tendency to run deep," she said on the Copa TS podcast.

She added that she's happy that she can basically say "I'm gone, but there's someone there."

Popp, who retired from international football last year, has won two Olympic medals with Germany: gold at Rio 2016 and bronze last summer in Paris. At club level, she won the Champions League three times, plus titles in the Bundesliga and German Cup.