Martina Voss-Tecklenburg believes Sunday’s “dream” Euro 2022 final between England and Germany provides the platform needed to take the women’s game to the next level.
Germany have won the competition a record eight times while hosts England have yet to win a major trophy.
After finishing top of Group B, Voss-Tecklenburg’s side beat Austria in the quarter-finals and France in the last four to set up a clash with the hosts at Wembley.
With tickets sold out and a bumper television audience expected, Voss-Tecklenburg believes the showdown offers an ideal chance to grow the sport even further.
“(Women’s football) will only win if everything that happens in Europe with Germany and England ends in a sustainable way,” the Germany head coach said.
“Something has to continue, this has to be a chance for all the countries to make the next steps for women’s football – if not now when will this happen?”
England’s traditional rivalry with Germany is not exclusive to the men’s game, with the latter thumping the Lionesses 6-2 in the 2009 final.
Voss-Tecklenburg did not play down the significance of the history between the countries and insisted she wanted her side to meet England in the final.
“It electrifies football fans, and for me that is just one football, I don’t differentiate between men(‘s) and women(‘s football),” Voss-Tecklenburg said.
“There will be millions of spectators in the whole of Europe, if we had been allowed to dream we would have wanted to play against England in this final but not anyone else.”
When asked if she was aware of the history between England and Germany, she said: “I was born in 1967 so I can only remember what I saw on TV but everyone knows the history between Germany and England and Wembley and goals and penalties.
“But that’s all in the past so the pressure is actually on England tomorrow, I believe the pressure is more on them than on us.
“We have to have the responsibility, you have to have a bit of luck sometimes, but there is pressure on every player in that situation. If it were to happen we will be ready.”
