Ulrike Stange

Ulrike Mertesacker (née Stange;[1] born 25 April 1984 in Oschatz) is a German former professional handball player. She played for several top-flight handball clubs and the German national team in her seven years as a professional. Since 2011 she has resided in London with her husband, Arsenal Academy manager and retired footballer Per Mertesacker, and last played for amateur side Thames Handball Club.

Ulrike Stange
Personal information
Full name Ulrike Stange
Born (1984-04-25) 25 April 1984
Oschatz, East Germany
Nationality German
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 6 1⁄2 in)
Playing position right wing
Club information
Current club Thames HC
Number 20
Youth career
Years Team
1990–1998
 SHV Oschatz
1998–2003
 HC Leipzig
Senior clubs
Years Team
2003–2005
 Borussia Dortmund
2005–2009
 HC Leipzig
2009–2010
 VfL Oldenburg
National team
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005-
 Germany 38 (63)
Medal record
Representing  Germany
World championship
Team

Early life

Stange began playing handball from an early age as her mother and grandmother were both former handball players. At the age of 14, she moved to Leipzig to join HC Leipzig's youth academy and boarded at the Landesgymnasium für Sport Leipzig, one of the region's most elite sports gymnasiums.[2]

Career

From 1998 to 2003, and again from 2005 onwards, Stange played on the right wing position at Bundesliga club HC Leipzig. Between 2003 und 2005 she was on loan to Borussia Dortmund. In 2009 she won with HC Leipzig the German Championship. That same year she chose not to see out the final year of her contract and opted to move to VfL Oldenburg to be nearer to her partner (later husband), German footballer Per Mertesacker, who was then playing for SV Werder Bremen.[3] In October 2010 Stange announced her decision quit professional handball due to her pregnancy.[4][5] She played for amateur club Thames Handball Club in London, where she resides with her family, prior to the birth of her second child.

International career

Stange made her international debut for the German national team on 4 March 2005 against Croatia. She missed out on the 2008 Olympics after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a pre-tournament friendly against Cuba.[6] She has 38 caps (63 goals).

Stange and her husband were named as ambassadors for the 2017 World Women's Handball Championship hosted by Germany.[7][1]

Honours and awards

Personal life

Stange married German footballer Per Mertesacker on 22 June 2013.[8] and they have two sons (born April 2011 and May 2014).[9] They began a relationship after first meeting in 2008 while both were recovering from injury at a rehab clinic in Donaustauf.[9][10]

References
  1. "Ulrike und Per Mertesacker unterstützen Handball-WM" (in German). German Handball Association. 27 November 2017.
  2. "Durch die Familie zum Handball: Angie Geschke und Ulrike Stange über Gemeinsamkeiten" (in German). HBF. 7 September 2010.
  3. "Oldenburger Kader komplett: Stange und Burde kommen, Birke, Parchina und Wenzl bleiben" (in German). HBF. 20 June 2009.
  4. "Per Mertesacker und Ulrike Stange erwarten Nachwuchs". Nordwest-Zeitung (in German). 6 October 2010.
  5. "Freudiges "Saisonaus" - Nachwuchs im Hause Stange/Mertesacker" (in German). HBF. 6 October 2010.
  6. "Kreuzbandriss! - Olympia-Aus für Ulrike Stange" (in German). HBF. 31 March 2008.
  7. "Ulrike and Per Mertesacker are emissaries for the World Championship venue Leipzig". 30 November 2017.
  8. "Geheimsache Hochzeitsfoto". Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 23 June 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  9. Windmann, Antje (16 March 2018). "Dark Side of the Dream — Why Arsenal Star Per Mertesacker Is Happy to Leave Football". Der Spiegel.
  10. "Mertesacker liebt Handballerin". Bild (in German). 18 December 2008.


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