Lea Schuller: The story so far

The 28-year-old became United’s second signing of the mid-season window, following in the footsteps of Hanna Lundkvist, after making the move from German champions Bayern Munich.

Schuller’s contract, running until the summer of 2029, officially began on 1 January, and she has since made her debut for the Reds, in Saturday’s draw with Arsenal.

“It was tough for Lea, but I felt she gave everything when she came in, because she comes in and all of a sudden we’re down to 10,” head coach Marc Skinner reflected on Lea’s first United outing, as a 60th-minute substitute, brought on five minutes before Jayde Riviere was sent off and we were reduced to 10 players.

Schuller will be hoping to get the opportunity to make more of an impact in this Sunday’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup clash against Burnley in Leigh, when she could make her home debut for the club.

Supporters at the Progress With Unity Stadium will be hoping to get a first glimpse of the prolific striker, who enjoyed a fine career in her home country before starting fresh here in Manchester.

Schuller – who thrives on direct play and crosses into the penalty box – came through Essen’s youth ranks and made her top-flight debut at the age of just 16, in December 2013, before establishing herself as a regular Frauen-Bundesliga goalscorer across nearly 150 matches for the club.

Lea’s consistent quality in front of the target saw her leave Essen in 2020 with an impressive scoring record of close to a goal every two games. She transferred across the German top tier to join Bayern, who had not won a league title for four years at the time. 

Four titles – and a German Cup – would follow over the next five-and-a-half years during her stay in Munich, where she scored more than 100 goals and added UEFA Champions League football to her CV.

The aforementioned cup triumph came in 2025 as part of Bayern’s first-ever domestic double, with the forward netting a hat-trick in the final to help her old team get the better of Werder Bremen.

Schuller is no stranger to goals or big occasions on the international stage, either. As a senior for Germany since 2017, the forward has scored 54 times while collecting 82 caps for her country.

Lea was the nation’s Women's Player of the Year for 2021 and represented Germany at UEFA Euro 2022 a year later, as they finished runners-up to England. The striker also featured at last summer’s Euros, has been to the last two FIFA World Cups and received an Olympic bronze medal in 2024.

The striker has already achieved so much in the game, but her hunger to achieve much more was clear upon her recent move here.

“From the first conversations that I had with Marc and the club, the ambitions of everyone here were very clear. I still have so much that I want to achieve in my career, and I know that Manchester United is the perfect club to join,” Lea stated, after swapping Munich for Manchester.

“I feel that the team’s style of football will really suit my game, I hope my qualities and experience can help us to achieve our aims both in England and in the Champions League.”