When asked about the most memorable match of her storied international career, Eugenie Le Sommer’s response was as rapid as one of her shots: “That’s tricky, there are so many of them!”, the 35-year-old insisted during an exclusive interview with FIFA.
Having just made her 200th appearance for the national team, the striker is spoilt for choice when looking back on a glittering career that has seen a string of personal and collective accolades and awards.
It was a run of success that began way back in 2008 when, as well as playing at the UEFA Women’s U-19 Championship at just 17 years of age, Le Sommer lit up the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup tournament later that same year.
As a precocious teenager, she demonstrated the full extent of her technical ability on the world stage, scoring a range of goals including a left-footed strike from outside the box, a right-footed volley, a lob and a header to finish among the tournament’s top scorers. “It sums up the type of player I am, capable of scoring in any situation, with both feet and my head”, says the tenacious player who spent many years practicing judo.
“Obviously, skill is important, but it’s more about making the right decisions. I think it’s a natural thing at first, but it also develops little by little”, continues the French star, who left home at 12 to pursue a sports-study program, driven by “conviction and passion, without ever questioning it.”
Le Sommer is not one to rest on her laurels, and she rarely has time to do so.
Shortly after returning from that U-20 showpiece she was soon called up to the senior squad. “The U-20 World Cup was where I really announced myself to the world. It was a bit of a springboard for me because I had a fantastic World Cup and I proved that I belong there. I played [the U-20 World Cup] in December, and I was called up to the senior teamin February. It all happened really quickly, so I didn’t really have too much time to think about it.”
Despite making her first appearance for Les Bleues 16 years ago in 2009, the striker remembers it like it was yesterday: “I remember when they announced the team, I was so pleased! I was really happy. Then there was the first match [a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland on 12 February 2009]. It was pure joy. Representing my country has always been important to me.”
Now Le Sommer has worn the French shirt on 200 occasions, including seven major tournaments: three Olympic Games (London 2012, Rio 2016 and Paris 2024) and four FIFA Women’s World Cups in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023. It’s no surprise then that she had a hard time picking just one memory…
“So there was my first call up. Then the 2012 Olympic Games. But also the penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup (which saw Le Sommer score the winning penalty as France beat England 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra-time). It was the first [for me] and a historic result for us”, she continues. “And then the first match of the 2019 World Cup. The atmosphere was incredible in front of the French crowd and I scored the first goal… Sometimes it’s the matches, sometimes it’s the goals, sometimes it’s the big moments…”
Does time go faster at the highest level? “Yes, I’d say so, because we play a lot of matches”, replies Le Sommer. “The level of competition is high, so we have to give it our all — not just in every match, of course, but also in every training session. I’m someone who is always thinking about the next match. In some sports, you have to wait four years or for the next Olympics, but time passes by quickly in football since we have several matches in a week sometimes. “These 200 caps have gone past in the blink of an eye.”
A 200th cap, a 200th goal in the league with Lyon, but also her 100th match and 50th goal in the Women’s Champions League… Right now, the striker is reaching countless milestones rarely seen in the women’s game.
“It’s true that this year has been non-stop! It’s been strange, because there is a lot of media coverage around me. The girls congratulate me every time, but they’re going to be fed up of doing it soon!”, jokes the serial record-breaker.
Statistics aside, Le Sommer is a true role model not only for the younger generation, but also for the women’s game in general – something that she herself was deprived of when starting out due to a lack of exposure of women’s football. “When I was young, you didn’t see women’s teams, there was no social media, we didn’t speak about it at all”, she explains. “Now there is a lot more coverage. The perspective has also changed: there are a lot of girls in my generation who stopped playing football because they were told that it wasn’t for them. That was just another source of motivation for me. Nowadays, it’s completely different.”
The 35-year-old also keeps herself busy off the pitch by engaging in a range of different ventures such as the comic book series Fan de Foot, which highlights the next generation’s budding talents. She plays a key ambassadorial role there alongside Olivier Giroud. “When they put the project forward to me, I thought it was really interesting. I told myself that it was my duty to do it. We need to tell different stories. We need to make sure young girls have role models — but also make sure that young boys see stories about girls playing football.”
She is also involved in coaching through her Eugenie Le Sommer courses for young girls: “It’s a personal initiative. It didn’t exist in France and I was inspired by what I saw abroad. It’s something very close to my heart. We get a lot of applications. It’s a way of sharing my experience and giving confidence to the girls that take part in it.”
As someone who has had her fair share of setbacks between injuries, dips in form and missing out on squads, Le Sommer shares her own advice: “You always have to believe in yourself, be determined and persevere. That’s how young girls will be able to go on to achieve what they need to achieve.”
After having won everything at club level, including 13 league titles with Lyon and eight Champions League titles, a trophy with Les Bleues is all that is missing to complete her extraordinary list of honours. “It would be a form of accomplishment, of course. That’s what motivates us. I always come to the French team with the same ambition: to win matches and titles. It would be a dream come true.”
