Marie-Louise Eta is making history

Following in the footsteps of Corinne Diacre at Clermont Foot in France 2014 (Ligue 2), a new chapter in European football history is being written at Union Berlin. After a 3-1 defeat away to bottom-of-the-table Heidenheim, the German capital club has handed the reins of its first team to Marie-Louise Eta until the end of the season. At 34, the former professional player—who transitioned into coaching at 26—becomes the first woman ever appointed head coach of a men's top-flight team in Europe’s Big Five leagues. This appointment feels like a natural progression. Eta served as an assistant coach for Union’s senior squad during the 2023-2024 season, a tenure highlighted by a victory over Darmstadt while she was temporarily in charge. After a stint as an assistant for the women’s team—contributing to their promotion to the Bundesliga—she spent this season leading the club's U19 men’s side, currently sitting at the top of their league. The former Werder Bremen midfielder now has five matches to secure Union Berlin’s survival in the Bundesliga before taking over as the women’s team's head coach this summer, as previously planned. That is, of course, unless she makes history once more with the men's side over the coming weeks...