Steffi Jones

With a career spanning 16 years in the Bundesliga and 14 in the national team, Steffi Jones shaped the women's game long before returning to the limelight as head of the national organising committee for the 2011 World Cup on home soil and Germany head coach in 2016. At club level, the defensive specialist secured the German league title six times and lifted the DFB Cup on three occasions. On her way to 111 international caps, she won the World Cup in 2003, three European Championship titles and two Olympic bronze medals. At the 1997 European Championship in Sweden, she was voted best defender of the tournament. Jones's rise to international stardom was not always plain sailing, however. In her younger years, the daughter of an African-American US soldier and a German mother often faced misgivings because of her appearance. Yet she quickly earned respect and recognition captaining boys' teams and taking on responsibility. This laid the foundations for an exceptional career in which she left her mark on the game, impressing with her strength in the tackle, vision and filigree technique.