Georgia Stanway has admitted that sealing her move to Bayern Munich before Euro 2022 was key to her strong performances at the tournament.
Stanway called time on her seven years at Manchester City this summer following the end of her contract, and has since spoken of feeling at a ‘stand still’ during her final 18 months at the Academy Stadium due to frequently being played out of position.
The midfielder’s move to Bayern was confirmed in May, and she went on to become a pivotal part of England Euro 2022-winning squad, starting all six matches and netting a stunning extra time winner against Spain in the quarter finals.
“I think the reason that I did so well at the Euros was because I’d already signed for Bayern – I was just free,” Stanway told BBC Sport. “Now I just want to show the player that I am, and the player I know I can be.
“I was at City for seven, nearly eight years, from the age of 16 to 23. I’d played nearly 200 games, won seven trophies and left as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer. But I felt like for the last 18 months I had plateaued.
“I was being asked to fill in different positions, like at left-back. And while I’m happy to do a job, I didn’t feel like I was getting any better or going anywhere.
“They offered me a contract very, very late and it wasn’t the way I wanted it to end. So I just questioned myself and thought: ‘Well, if not now then when? When is the right time to go abroad? When is the right time to take the next step?'”
Stanway revealed she chose a move to Germany because the style of the Frauen-Bundesliga went hand-in-hand with her dogged approach to the game.
“They [Germany] play in a way that makes you not want to play against them, and I like it when people don’t want to play against me,” she added. “So it’s a team – and a league – that appreciates the hard graft, the physicality, the robustness, but at the same time being able to match it with the tactical and the technical aspects. For me, that’s pretty amazing.
“So when Bayern approached me, I knew they were right for me. I like to create catalyst moments by winning the ball back. They play nice football too but here I can do the dirty work. They really appreciate that side of my game and that really suits me.”
