Zsanett Jakabfi and Katharina Baunach start their sightseeing tour at the VfL training ground.
"Wolfsburg is ahead of Munich" – Sightseeing with Katharina Baunach and the new Polo
Katharina Baunach lived in Munich for eleven years, playing soccer for FC Bayern. During that time, the 28-year old became a two-time German champion and won the DFB cup. For this new season, the defense player came to Wolfsburg and signed a contract with VfL. Why? According to Katharina it's because, "Wolfsburg is ahead of Munich." Does this solely refer to sports, or the city as well? Katharina was eager to find out and took a tour of Wolfsburg in the new Polo, accompanied by her new team mate, Zsanett Jakabfi, who has been living and playing in Wolfsburg since 2009.
Katharina quickly found her favorite place in the city. It's the Autostadt, at the Mittelland Canal. She likes sitting by the water, drinking coffee and enjoying nature. "It's a very beautiful area, directly by the water with lots of green all around," says the native Franconian. In 2006, she had moved to Munich from her hometown of Würzburg. Wolfsburg is the second stop on her voyage in life, and in football.
On one of her first afternoons off during pre-season prep, Katharina takes her new team mate Zsanett Jakabfi on a little tour, to get to know her and the city. Up until now, the two had been opponents on the field. "Jay" in offense, Katharina playing defense. Now, they are sitting side-by-side in a red Polo and do what young women do when they drive. Geeking out about furniture, testing the car's sound system, talking about life, weather, speed traps, interior design and how little traffic there is in Wolfsburg compared to Munich.
In the new Polo, Jay gives Katharina a tour of Wolfsburg.
The car is the new Polo beats. Bright red. Katharina grabs Jay's cell phone to sample her playlists. "Wow, that bass is incredible," she says, but her words get drowned out by Jay's singing.
Jays shows Katharina Wolfsburg Castle. "There are a lot of green areas here, very relaxing and beautiful," says Katharina, as the Polo rolls to a stop. "It doesn't feel like a city at all. Doesn't even compare to Munich."
Enjoying a cup of coffee in front of Wolfsburg castle.
In 2007, Katharina received the Fritz-Walter medal as the runner-up junior player in the U-17 age group. And she became European champion in the U-19 category. A year later she and her U-20 national team won the bronze medal in the world championship.
In 2009, the defense player competed in her first two international matches under Silvia Neid.
Then she suffered a severe knee injury and had to take a long break. In 2015, she tore her meniscus, resulting in another year of rehab instead of playing football. But Katharina is ambitious and wants to start over in Wolfsburg. With the double-winning team.
"Wolfsburg is ahead of Munich. They simply have better players," Katharina explains her reason for switching teams. "There is a very professional work attitude here and you can see it immediately. The team's past successes show that this approach works, as does the fact that so many internationals sign with the Wolfsburg club."
Katharina Baunach
Zsanett Jakabfi, a Hungarian national herself, spends three hours showing the newbie around. The Columbian pavilion, Lake Allersee, Autostadt. "The factory is pretty large, isn't it?" Katharina asks, obviously impressed. "Yes, it's huge," says Jay, smiling. Jay has been playing offense for the Wolfsburg club for eight years now. She won all three championships with the team, the Triple in 2013, and defended the champions league title in 2014.
"The factory is pretty big, isn't it?" asks Katharina Baunach.
"Wolfsburg has become my home away from home," says the 27-year old, who likes the old town of Fallersleben the most. "I've been living here for many years and found many friends. The town is small, but very nice and green. I like that a lot." From 2008 to 2010, Zsanett was Hungary's football player of the year, three years in a row. She also works part-time in the club's ticketing department.
Zsanett Jakabfi
Being a year older than Jay, Katharina gave up part-time work when she left Munich. She had worked for one of the sponsor's subsidiary companies there. Now, Wolfsburg is her first full-time professional gig. "I came to Wolfsburg for the sport. It was time to take the next step. Here, I get to work as a full-time professional player and I'm looking forward to it. Katharina had offers from foreign clubs, too, but turned them down.
Katharina (left) and "Jay" at AOK stadium.
As this car ride shows, the chemistry is right between these two. And they insist on having a cup of coffee together. The team welcomed Katharina with open arms. The weather may not be great today, but Katharina is happy. "Of course, Wolfsburg is quite different, coming from a metropolis like Munich. But I'm pleasantly surprised. It has a very familiar feel to it and I like it a lot."
Now the mood is improving by the minute. Jay and Katharina are clowning around with the camera that has been installed to record a video of the event.
Then they start taking a closer look at the car and are impressed by the amount of storage and the quality of workmanship. And they agree: "This car is exactly the right size." They both prefer small, powerful cars.
Katharina's new place of work.
The ride ends at AOK stadium. "You probably remember this," Jay teases when they arrive. "Yes, it's a nice stadium," Katharina says. "But the memories aren't pleasant, since we left here without scoring any points last year." They both have a lot of work ahead of them. Zsanett got injured, too. Up until February, she had scored eight goals in the champions league. Then, a knee injury forced her to take a break. But she still became the top goal scorer of the year.
Katharina Baunach is now hoping for better experiences at AOK stadium.
Together they now want to make a fresh start in the champions league. After all, the last triumph was three years ago. And the first impression matches their big goals. Katharina adjusted well to Wolfsburg. She likes the familiar atmosphere and all the green areas for relaxing. And the sightseeing tour with Jay shows that Katharina has been well-received by the team. Excellent conditions for a good start in Wolfsburg.
