Inka Grings’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Intro Association football player
Is Sports official 
Athlete 
Football player 
Association football player 
Association football manager 
From Germany 
Type Sports 
Gender female
Birth 31 October 1978, Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Government Region, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Age: 41 years
Stats
Height: 169

Inka Grings (born 31 October 1978) is a retired German international footballer. She played sixteen years as a striker for FCR 2001 Duisburg. Afterwards she played for FC Zürich Frauen. She also played for the German national team. Grings is the second all-time leading goalscorer in Germany’s top division, the Fußball-Bundesliga (women), with 195 goals and claimed the league’s top-scorer award for a record six seasons. Playing for Germany, she has also been the top-scorer at two UEFA European Championships. Grings was named German Female Footballer of the Year in 1999, 2009 and 2010.

She currently is coach for MSV Duisburg.

Early life

As a child, Grings wanted to be a tennis player. However, after no tennis club had accepted her, she instead started playing football at TSV Eller 04 in 1984. She later played for Garather SV.

Playing career

Club

Duisburg, 1995–2011

Grings signed with FCR 2001 Duisburg in 1995. She quickly became an important player for the club and in the following years one of the most successful goalscorers in Germany. In 1998, Grings won the German Cup, her first major title. She scored three goals in the final against FSV Frankfurt. The following year in the 1998–99 season she became the Bundesliga’s top-scorer for the first time. Grings was named German Female Footballer of the Year in 1999 by the country’s sports journalists.

Over the next decade, Grings became the Bundesliga all-time leading goalscorer, hitting the mark of 350 goals in January 2011. She won the Bundesliga title with Duisburg in the 1999–00 season; that year she also set the all-time record for goals in a Bundesliga season by scoring 38 goals. She won the German Cup on two more occasions in 2009 and 2010, and lifted the UEFA Women’s Cup in the 2008–09 season. Grings was the Bundesliga top-scorer for three years in a row from 2008 to 2010 and was again voted Germany’s Female Footballer of the Year in 2009 and 2010.

FC Zürich, 2011–13

She ended her contract at Duisburg one year early in an agreement with the club and announced transferring to an international club. On 1 September 2011 she joined Swiss side FC Zürich Frauen. In the first season she won the championship as well as the cup.

Chicago Red Stars, 2013

Grings during a match against Seattle Reign FC on 25 July 2013 in Tukwila, Washington.

In May 2013, Grings signed with the Chicago Red Stars for the inaugural season of the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States alongside Sonja Fuss. On 4 August 2013, she scored a brace against Seattle Reign FC helping the Red Stars win 3–1. Grings was on the starting lineup in 14 of the 16 games in which she played for the Red Stars and scored three goals on the season. The Red Stars finished the 2013 season sixth in the standings with an 8–6–8 record.

She was waived by the Red Stars in September 2013.

International

Grings made her debut for the German national team in May 1996 against Finland. She appeared for Germany at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, scoring three goals. However, Germany was eliminated in the quarter-final. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, she won the bronze medal with the German team, scoring once against Australia in the group stage. Grings’ career, particularly at international level, has repeatedly been affected by injuries. She missed the 2001 European Championship on home soil and the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup due to injury. When she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee shortly before the 2004 Summer Olympics, Grings initially announce to end her career. However, she changed her mind during physical therapy.

With four goals, Grings was the top-scorer at the 2005 European Championship, when Germany claimed its sixth European title. At the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2008 Summer Olympics, Grings was not part of the German squad, because of disagreements with head coach Silvia Neid. She returned for Germany at the 2009 European Championship, claiming her second European title. With five goals Grings again was the tournament’s top-scorer. She has been called up for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Grings has scored 64 international goals and is ranked third behind Birgit Prinz (128) and Heidi Mohr (83) for Germany’s all-time top goalscorers. During 93 appearances, she has averaged 0.69 goals per games, which makes her the team’s second most prolific scorer.

Matches and goals scored at World Cup and Olympic tournaments

Inka Grings competed in two FIFA Women’s World Cup: USA 1999, and Germany 2011; one Olympics: Sydney 2000; played in 13 matches and scored 6 goals. Along with her Germany team, Grings is a bronze medalist from Sydney 2000.

Goal Match Date Location Opponent Lineup Min Score Result Competition
USA 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup
1 1999-06-20 Los Angeles  Italy Start

1–1 D

 Group match
1 2 1999-06-24 Portland  Mexico Start 10 1–0

6–0 W

 Group match
2 57 4–0
3 90+2 6–0
3 1999-06-27 Washington  Brazil 89.

off 89′ (on Meyer)

3–3 D

 Group match
4 1999-07-01 Washington  United States {{{4}}}.

off 92′ (on Hoffmann)

2–3 L

 Quarter-final
Sydney 2000 Olympic Women’s Football Tournament
4 5 2000-09-13 Canberra  Australia Start 35 1–0

3–0 W

 Group match
6 2000-09-16 Canberra  Brazil Start

2–1 W

 Group match
7 2000-09-19 Melbourne  Sweden {{{4}}}.

off 45′ (on Mueller)

1–0 W

 Group match
8 2000-09-24 Sydney  Norway Start

0–1 L

 Semifinal
9 2000-09-28 Sydney  Brazil {{{4}}}.

off +94′ (on Goette)

2–0 W

 Bronze medal match
Germany 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup
10 2011-06-26 Berlin  Canada {{{4}}}.

on 65′ (off Mbabi)

2–1 W

 Group match
11 2011-06-30 Frankfurt  Nigeria {{{4}}}.

on 53′ (off Prinz)

1–0 W

 Group match
5 12 2011-07-05 Moenchengladbach  France Start 32 2–0

4–2 W

 Group match
6 68 pk 3–1
13 2011-07-09 Wolfsburg  Japan {{{4}}}.

off 102′ (on Popp)

0–1 aet L

 Quarter-final

Personal life

Grings is openly bisexual, she had a well publicized relationship with female team colleague Linda Bresonik, and also dated male Holger Fach, former head coach of VfL Wolfsburg.

Honours

Club

FCR 2001 Duisburg
  • Bundesliga: Winner (1) 1999–00, Runner-up (7) 1996–97, 1998–99, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10
  • German Cup: Winner (3) 1997–98, 2008–09, 2009–10, Runner-up (3) 1998–99, 2002–03, 2006–07
  • UEFA Women’s Cup: Winner (1) 2008–09
FC Zürich Frauen
  • Nationalliga A Winner (2) 2012, 2013
  • Swiss Women’s Cup: Winner (2) 2012, 2013

International

  • UEFA European Championship: Winner (2) 2005, 2009
  • Summer Olympic Games: Bronze medal (1) 2000

Individual

  • German Footballer of the Year: (3) 1999, 2009, 2010
  • Top-scorer Bundesliga: (6) 1998–99, 1999–00, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10
  • Top-scorer UEFA Women’s Championship: (2) 2005, 2009
  • Top-scorer UEFA Women’s Champions League: (1) 2010–11
    You May Also Like

    Kirk Cameron’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

    Kirk Cameron net worth: Kirk Cameron is an American TV and film actor and producer who has a net worth of $10 million. Best known for his appearances on the popular television show Growing Pains, Cameron has amassed a long list of credits throughout his career. He was undoubtedly one of the most recognizable faces of the 80s and early 90s. Today Kirk and his wife Chelsea Noble are probably better known for their evangelical Christian beliefs and practices. Kirk and Chelsea are the co-founders of The Firefly Foundation which runs a summer camp for terminally ill children and their families. Early Life: Born in Los Angeles on October 12th, 1970, Cameron was always in a good position to succeed in the film industry. He was also not the only member of his family to go into acting, as his sister Candace Cameron Bure also enjoyed a successful career in this industry. As early as age nine, Kirk Cameron was booking acting roles. His first major gig was a cereal commercial, and he quickly expanded his resume by age 13 to include roles on shows like Two Marriages. Breakthrough with Growing Pains: Although Kirk Cameron was an established actor by age 15, he was thrust into the limelight in a completely new way when he was cast in the show Growing Pains. The young actor played the role of Mike Weaver, and he soon became a cultural icon of the decade. By the late 80s, Cameron became a “teenage heartthrob” in the eyes of many, especially those in his generation. He frequently appeared on the covers of magazines and even landed a short Pepsi commercial for the Superbowl. At this stage in his career, the actor was earning $50,000 per week. During the late 80s, Cameron also starred in a wide range of films and television shows. When Growing Pains ended in the early 90s, Cameron immediately shifted his attention towards newer projects, like Kirk. Not long afterward, the actor decided to distance himself from show business, preferring to pursue other priorities and focus more on his family life. Impact of Child Stardom: Kirk Cameron is a prime example of a child star. While other children were going to school and living a “normal” life, Kirk was completing his studies while he was on the set of Growing Pains. That being said, he also had the opportunity to attend some high school classes at Chatsworth High School during breaks in production. Around this time, Cameron met his future wife, Chelsea Noble, who was guest-starring on his sister Candace’s show “Full House”. Kirk and Chelsea began dating and she eventually played his girlfriend on several episodes of Growing Pains. Conversion to Christianity: Kirk Cameron is a born again Christian. He converted to Christianity after landing his role in Growing Pains, despite being a staunch atheist prior to that. Converting had a major impact on Cameron’s life, and he is now an Evangelical Christian. After converting, Cameron pressured the producers of Growing Pains to change story-lines that he deemed to be too mature or adult. After the show ended, he purposely cut ties with many of his fellow cast members, later citing his newfound religion as the reason for this abrupt split. Life After Growing Pains: After Growing Pains and Kirk had ended, Kirk distanced himself from the entertainment industry and didn’t return for many years. His first major “comeback” came in the year 2000 when he participated in the reunion Growing Pains movie called The Growing Pains Movie. He also participated in the film’s sequel, Growing Pains: The Return of the Seavers. Around this time, Kirk Cameron also began acting in a film series called Left Behind. At the time, it was considered the largest and most ambitious Christian film of all time. Three films were released, and the stories focused around a fictional imagining of the biblical rapture. This new direction for Kirk would continue for the rest of his career, as he focused on films with Christian themes. Notable examples were 2008’s Fireproof, 2013’s Unstoppable, and 2014’s Saving Christmas. The film Monumental also received considerable press coverage. Evangelical Activities: Kirk Cameron is an extremely active figure in the Evangelical community. He hosts his own television show called Way of the Master, which tackles Evangelical subject matter. Kirk Cameron also founded The Firefly Foundation with his wife. This foundation offers terminally ill children and their parents a free, one-week vacation. Controversy: Kirk Cameron has been involved with various controversies, most of which resulted from his involvement with Evangelical Christianity. Kirk Cameron was criticized when he distributed an altered version of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of the Species in various U.S. colleges. The copy of the text lacked key chapters and pointed to a creationist interpretation of Darwinism. When Kirk Cameron was promoting the film Monumental, he was interviewed by Piers Morgan on CNN. He stated that in his opinion, homosexuality was “unnatural,” and “destructive” to civilization. As a result, Cameron experienced major backlash from gay rights groups and prominent figures within the entertainment industry – most notably his co-stars from Growing Pains. During the lead up to the film Unstoppable, Facebook and YouTube censored all promotional material related to the film. Kirk contested that the platforms were blocking the content due to its religious content, but Facebook and YouTube claimed it was a mistake. Apparently the trailers and other content had been mistakenly identified as malware or spam. In December 2020, as COVID-19 cases spiked and local ICU capacity was at 0%, Kirk orchestrated a mask-less Christmas celebration at a local mall. It was his second such event. Personal Life: In 1991, Kirk Cameron married his co-star from Growing Pains, Chelsea Noble. The couple has four adopted children and has two biological children. As a Christian, Cameron is incredibly committed to his wife and his family. In the film Fireproof, the actor refused to kiss his female co-star. To maintain the scene, Kirk kissed his wife instead and it was filmed in silhouette – so no one could tell the difference. Real Estate: In 1998 Kirk and Chelsea paid $645,000 for a home in Agoura Hills, California. The 1-acre property is located within an exclusive gated community. Today comparable homes are worth $2-3 million.
    Read More