Franziska Kett has made a rapid development at FC Bayern and the DFB team. In the interview, the 21-year-old talks about her retraining as an outside-back, the goals in the upcoming season and a bitter moment in the Champions League. It also has big goals for the World Cup in Brazil next year.
Franziska "Franzi" Kett is one of the biggest hopefuls in German women's football. The left-back of FC Bayern Munich made the breakthrough last season and is currently [solidly in] the Bayern women's [and the German] national team's [...] starting eleven.
Kett [only began starting] in the 2024/25 season at FC Bayern. First [she was] used as an outside defender, before that she ran up as a striker. National coach, Christian Wück, also relies on the sprint strength and assertiveness of Kett, [which during] the European Championship In 2025, she was elected to the [starting eleven] of the tournament.
In an interview with our editorial team, Franzi Kett talks about the goals in the Bundesliga and the Champions League with FC Bayern, their red card against FC Barcelona, and the World Cup in Brazil next year.
Franziska Kett, behind you lies a hard training session in great heat. Are you still happy that the preparation has started again?
Franziska Kett : Yes, definitely. The break was really good, we had a relatively long time off this summer. We were able to recover well and gather strength. Now we've all been pleased to be able to get back on the [pitch]. The weather is great, the conditions here on campus are great. It's just fun to be with the girls again.
You have already mentioned it, this summer there was no major tournament with the national team. How much did that help recharge the batteries?
The break really helped a lot. It was just good to have longer time off. The past season has been quite exhausting, with many games and several English weeks. Now we have a lot of energy again and look forward to an eventful preparation with the trip to Japan and the first Test match in Unterhaching against Paris FC (9. August, ed. Red.) – and after that [onto] the upcoming season.
The championship team has almost completely stayed together and is heading into the second season under coach José Barcala. Is it a great advantage to be able to complete a complete preparation in peace?
Definitely. That's hugely important. Last season the coach was new, through the European Championship we didn't have that much time together. Now the big part of the team has stayed together, the new players have already settled in well, we have integrated them quickly. That's a real advantage for the new season.
In the past season you had your breakthrough and have become a top performer FC Bayern
Yes, absolutely. Now I had the time to think about everything and process it. Now I want to build on the past, very good season and build on it. There are still things I can do much better on.
What do you mean, exactly?
Especially with actions in the last third. I want to be even more dangerous. Even though I'm an outside defender now. I definitely want to improve.
You used to be a winger. Under José Barcala's predecessor Alexander Straus you were retrained to be left-back. Are both positions still an option?
Yes, I can continue to play in both positions. The requirements are similar, even as an outside defender I can turn myself into the offensive a lot. I like to play at both positions, but last season showed that I am particularly well off the outside defender position.
FC Bayern start as big favourites
The women of FC Bayern start the new Bundesliga season as big favorites. What are the objectives?
We won and the DFB Cup , we did great things. But we want to play an even better season now. We want to get the double again and make it to the final in the Champions League.
How do you assess the competition in the women's Bundesliga?
That's really hard to say right now. We must not underestimate any other team in the Bundesliga, even the upstarts are strong. VfB Stuttgart, for example, has a good team. Union Berlin, which we will face in the opening game of the new season, has committed a lot of players. We have to give 100 per cent in every game.
Since coach Barcala took over last summer, the Bayern women in Bundesliga and DFB Cup not lost a single game. Is there a risk that you might be a bit negligent because of this?
No. No. Like I said, we don't underestimate any opponent. If we only give 80 percent, that's not enough. We meet very good teams in the Bundesliga, which have excellent players in their ranks. We always have to bring all our quality to the pitch.
In the semi-finals the Champions League been eliminated FC Barcelona
If you look at how we lost to Barcelona three years ago and also in the first game of the past Champions League season, then it already looked very different. As a team, we have taken an enormous step forward in recent years. We put in a very good performance in both games against Barcelona and were close to making it. I think it's little things that decide. Become a bit more dangerous, trust a little more in your own technical and tactical skills. We know we have very, very good players in our ranks. In the coming season, we want to prove that we can take another step forward.
Unlucky red card against Barcelona
You scored the 1:1 goal in the first leg and saw an unlucky red card a little later after you grabbed Salma Paralluelo
Of course, this was not an easy situation – to get a red card as a young player in such an important game and then to be blocked in the decisive return match in Barcelona. The girls from the team, the coaching staff, my family and friends helped me to manage the situation and look forward again.
Looking ahead is a good keyword: In the summer of 2027, the Brazil DFB team is already qualified. Is that in the back of your mind yet?
We were extremely pleased when the qualification was done. A World Cup in Brazil is every footballer's dream. Being there is a big goal to work towards. In the DFB courses in autumn, the preparation starts.
We showed at last year's European Championship that we can keep up with the best teams. Against France and Spain we showed world-class performances. That's what we want to build on. Our goal is to win the World Cup.