Sjoeke Nüsken

Sjoeke Nüsken (; born 22 January 2001) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or defender for Women's Super League club Chelsea and the Germany national team. She is known for her versatility, positioning, and goalscoring.

Club career

Early career

Before she focused on playing football, at the age of eleven, Nüsken was the best German tennis player in her age class. In retrospect, she explained her preference for football: "I'm just a team player. It's so much more fun for me to celebrate with the whole team than just for myself. And above all, my sister was also a footballer, which made the decision easier".

Up to the age of 18, Nüsken played in a boys team at SV Westfalia Rhynern in the town of Hamm. In her last season with the club, she needed permission by the German Football Association, having surpassed the level up to which girls were allowed to play in a boys team. In 2017 she played a one-off game for the U17s of FSV Gütersloh 2009.

At the age of 14 Nüsken was named to the Westphalia U14 squad, and played three games in the ''Länderpokal'', the German national tournament for regional teams. In later years, she played eight games with the U16 and four games with the U18 Westphalia squad, also in the ''Länderpokal''.

Eintracht Frankfurt

In April 2019, she signed a three-year contract with seven-time German champions 1. FFC Frankfurt (from the 2020/21 season competing as Eintracht Frankfurt). On 15 September 2019, she made her debut in the Bundesliga in the game against FF USV Jena, after recovering from an broken leg, coming on as a substitute for Laura Störzel. On 13 October 2019, she was in Frankfurt's starting eleven for the first time.  On 27 October 2019, she scored her first Bundesliga goal, the match winner against MSV Duisburg, 2–1.

Chelsea

2023–24 season

For the 2023–24 season, Nüsken joined Chelsea, signing a contract until 30 June 2026. On 1 October 2023, she made her debut for Chelsea in the WSL game against Tottenham (2–1). On 22 October 2023, she netted her first three goals for Chelsea, scoring a hat-trick against Brighton. She scored the first two goals in the 5–0 win against Sunderland in the 2023–24 Conti Cup quarterfinal. On 15 March 2024, in the 3–1 home win against Arsenal, Nüsken scored twice. Four days later, in the Champions League quarter-final against Ajax, Nüsken netted another brace, as Chelsea secured their fifth win in sixteen days. On 18 May 2024, Nüsken scored in Chelsea's 6–0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford, a win that secured the team's fifth consecutive Women's Super League title. She finished her first season with the club with 12 goals in all competitions, having made 23 starts and 15 substitute appearances.

2024–25 season

During the 2024–25 season, new Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor highlighted Nüsken's leadership on the pitch, naming her as one of the key figures guiding the team, alongside experienced players like Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze. In September 2024, Nüsken was nominated for the Ballon d'Or Féminin, recognising her performances for Chelsea and the German national team during the 2023–24 season. She finished in 25th place in the final rankings. On 8 October 2024, she scored her first goal of the season in Chelsea's 3–2 victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Women's Champions League. Her early header gave Chelsea the lead within three minutes of the match. In December 2024 Nüsken was voted by ''The Guardian'' at the 34th place among the top 100 women footballers in the world. On 8 December 2024, Nüsken scored her first league goals of the season, netting a brace in Chelsea's 4–2 victory against Brighton. Four days later, she marked her 50th appearance for Chelsea by scoring in a 6–1 Champions League win over FC Twente.

Nüsken featured in 36 matches for Chelsea throughout the 2024–25 season. Over the course of the campaign, she was predominantly deployed as a defensive midfielder, showcasing her versatility and tactical awareness. Her performances were characterised by high energy, vision, and adaptability, as she contributed both defensively and offensively. Notably, Nüsken recorded the third-highest number of minutes played among the Chelsea squad in the WSL, as the club became the first team to complete a 22-game season unbeaten. In recognition of her consistent displays, Nüsken was included in the Barclays WSL Team of the Season, announced in May 2025.

International career

Youth

Nüsken has represented Germany at every youth level from Under-15.

Nüsken made her international debut on 28 October 2015, at the age of 14, coming on as a substitute in the 52nd minute of the U15 national team's 5–1 win against Scotland. Two days later she scored her first international goal, in the first minute of the 6–0 win against the same opponents. This time she was substituted at half-time. On 27 April 2016, she scored her second international goal in the 3–3 draw against the Netherlands, her only full match for Germany U15.

In July 2016 Nüsken was a part of the U16 national team that finished second behind Norway in the Nordic Cup. In the 9–0 win against Finland, that saw nine different goal scorers, she netted Germany's seventh goal, which turned out to be her only goal for Germany U16.

Hardly one month later, on 28 August 2016, Nüsken made her debut in the U17 national team at the U17 Four Nations Tournament in Austria, and scored her first U17 goal in the 6–0 win over Romania. She was a part of the U17 team that won the 2017 U17 European Championship in the Czech Republic, playing all games in the qualification and the final tournament. The semi-final against Norway was decided by a penalty shoot-out. In the shoot-out, Nüsken converted her penalty kick to make it 2-2, after which Germany won 3–2. Also the final against Spain was won on penalties.

In September 2017, Nüsken made her debut in the German U19 team in the qualifying round for the 2018 U19 European Championship. She played several matches in the qualification, but was left out of the squad for the final tournament. Instead, she was named to the German U20 squad for the 2018 U20 European Championship in France. She debuted on 24 July 2018 in a friendly against the Netherlands. At the World Cup in August 2018, she played in the 1–0 win against Nigeria in the first group match and in the 2–0 win against China in the second group match, as well as in the quarter-finals, in which Germany lost 3–1 to eventual world champions Japan.

In October 2018, Nüsken returned to the U19 team, in the qualifying round for the 2019 U19 European Championship. She scored six times in the 21–0 win against Estonia, the biggest win ever by a German women's national team. In the elite round that took place in April 2019, Nüsken captained the German squad against Greece, and scored the opener in the wins to both Greece and the Czech Republic. With 12 goals, she was the top scorer in the qualification. A fibular fracture sustained in a match with Westfalia Rhynern prevented her from playing the final tournament.

In October 2019, Nüsken played the qualifying round for the 2020 U19 European Championship. She helped Germany win their three matches and qualify for the elite round. Due to COVID-19, however, the remainder of tournament was cancelled.

Senior

Nüsken received her first Germany Women's Senior camp call up in December 2018. The newly appointed national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg called her up for the winter training camp in January 2019 in Marbella, at a time when she still played in the boys team at SV Westfalia Rhynern.

Nüsken won her first senior cap on 21 February 2021 in a friendly against Belgium, coming on as a substitute for Sara Däbritz in the 73rd minute. On 10 April 2021, her first international goal was the opener in a friendly against Australia (5–2).

On 8 July 2023, Nüsken was named to the German squad for the 2023 World Cup. She came on as a substitute in the second group stage match, in which Germany suffered a surprise defeat against Colombia. Germany were eliminated in the group stage.

In July 2024, Nüsken was called up for the 2024 Summer Olympics. She consistently held a starting position in every game for Germany and contributed to the team's achievement of the bronze medal.

Personal life

Nüsken was studying civil engineering at the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, which she graduated from in 2024. Her sister Hjördis, who is four years older, was capped for Germany at youth level, before her football career was ended by injury.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nüsken goal.''

Honours

Chelsea
*Women's Super League: 2023–24, 2024–25
*Women's FA Cup: 2024–25
*FA Women's League Cup: 2024–25

Germany U17
* UEFA U-17 Women's Championship: 2017
Germany
* UEFA Women's Nations League third place: 2023–24
* Summer Olympic Games bronze medal: 2024

Individual
* Silbernes Lorbeerblatt: 2024

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nusken, Sjoeke
2001 births
Living people
Footballers from Hamm
German women's footballers
Germany women's youth international footballers
Germany women's international footballers
Women's association football midfielders
Eintracht Frankfurt (women) players
Frauen-Bundesliga players
Chelsea F.C. Women players
Women's Super League players
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup players
Footballers at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers for Germany
Olympic medalists in football
Olympic bronze medalists for Germany
Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Recipients of the Silver Laurel Leaf
21st-century German sportswomen
UEFA Women's Euro 2025 players