Marie-Louise Eta
German football manager (born 1991)
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Marie-Louise Eta (née Bagehorn; born 7 July 1991) is a German professional football manager and former player who is the interim head coach of men’s Bundesliga club Union Berlin. She is the first and only woman in charge of a men's team in the top five European football leagues.[2][3]
|
Eta in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marie-Louise Eta | ||
| Birth name | Marie-Louise Bagehorn | ||
| Date of birth | 7 July 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Dresden, Germany | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Union Berlin (interim head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2002 | FV Dresden 06 | ||
| 2002–2005 | 1. FFC Fortuna Dresden | ||
| 2006–2007 | 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2011 | 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam II | 20 | (4) |
| 2008–2011 | 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam | 29 | (3) |
| 2011–2012 | Hamburger SV | 22 | (2) |
| 2012–2014 | BV Cloppenburg | 41 | (6) |
| 2014–2018 | Werder Bremen | 84 | (19) |
| Total | 196 | (32) | |
| International career | |||
| 2006 | Germany U15 | 5 | (2) |
| 2006 | Germany U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Germany U17 | 17 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | Germany U19 | 22 | (4) |
| 2010 | Germany U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | Germany U23 | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024–2025 | Union Berlin (assistant) | ||
| 2025–2026 | Union Berlin U19 | ||
| 2026– | Union Berlin (interim) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
A midfielder, she played for Frauen-Bundesliga clubs 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam and Werder Bremen among other teams.[1][4][5] In April 2026, she was appointed as head coach of Union Berlin, becoming the first ever female coach to lead a men's team in one of the top five major European leagues.[6]
Club career
On 1 July 2011, Eta transferred to Hamburger SV, where she was initially supposed to play for the first team for two years.[7] After HSV withdrew from the Frauen-Bundesliga, she joined 2. Frauen-Bundesliga club BV Cloppenburg on 12 June 2012.[8] Cloppenburg won the North division and were promoted to the Bundesliga in 2013. Eta made her debut for BV Cloppenburg in the Bundesliga on 8 September 2013 (matchday 1) in a 3–3 draw away against SGS Essen. Cloppenburg finished second-to-last in the table and were relegated from the Bundesliga after just one season. Eta left the club and announced her transfer to 2. Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in July 2014.[9]
Eta retired from playing at the end of the 2017–18 season, aged 26.[10]
International career
As an Germany under-19 international, she played at the 2009[11] and 2010 UEFA Under-19 European Championships.[12]
Coaching career
In 2023, after being appointed assistant coach to Marco Grote at Union Berlin, Eta became the first woman to serve in this role with a men's Bundesliga side,[4] and with a team in the men's UEFA Champions League.[5]
In 2024, Eta became the first woman to take charge of a men’s team in a Bundesliga game, upon temporarily replacing Union Berlin’s head coach Nenad Bjelica, who was serving a three-game ban.[13]
On 11 April 2026, after Union Berlin sacked Steffen Baumgart, Eta was appointed as the interim head coach, which made her the first ever woman to manage a team in the Bundesliga and the top five European football leagues.[14] Following this season, she will assume the role of head coach of the women's side.[15]
The appointment was met with sexist abuse aimed at Eta, who was defended by the club.[16]
Personal life
Playing statistics
| Club | Season | League | DFB-Pokal | Bundesliga cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Turbine Potsdam | 2008–09 | Bundesliga | 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 13 | 4 | |||
| 2010–11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| Total | 29 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 6 | ||
| Hamburger SV | 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 22 | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 26 | 5 | ||
| BV Cloppenburg | 2012–13 | 2. Bundesliga | 22 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 25 | 5 | ||
| 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 19 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 3 | |||
| Total | 41 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 8 | ||
| Werder Bremen | 2014–15 | 2. Bundesliga | 20 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 6 | ||
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 3 | |||
| 2016–17 | 2. Bundesliga | 22 | 8 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 8 | |||
| 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 20 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 3 | |||
| Total | 84 | 19 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 20 | ||
| Career total | 176 | 30 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 212 | 39 | ||
Managerial statistics
- As of 24 April 2026
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Union Berlin U19 | 1 July 2025 | 11 April 2026 | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 59.1 | [20] |
| Union Berlin | 12 April 2026 | present | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | [21] |
| Total | 24 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 54.2 | |||
Honours
Player
Turbine Potsdam
- UEFA Champions League: 2009–10
- Bundesliga: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11
- DFB-Hallenpokal: 2009, 2010
BV Cloppenburg
Werder Bremen
- 2. Bundesliga: 2016–17
