In football, firsts tend to follow people around whether they want them to or not. Marie-Louise Eta has collected more than most. First woman to serve as an assistant coach in the men's Bundesliga. First to take interim charge of a men's side in one of Europe's big five leagues. And, for one game in 2024, first to lead Union Berlin's men's team in a competitive fixture. By the time she stepped up as interim head coach in April this year, the 35-year-old had already spent three years quietly reshaping what a football dugout can look like — without ever making that the point.

The circumstances were straightforward enough. Union Berlin sacked Steffen Baumgart with the club in a precarious league position and Eta, already part of the coaching staff, was handed the reins. The brief was simple: keep Union in the Bundesliga. She did exactly that, collecting two wins, a draw and two defeats across five games to guide the club to an 11th-place finish. Job done.

What surrounded those five games, though, was anything but ordinary. The media focus on her gender was relentless from the moment her appointment was confirmed, and Eta acknowledges that her early matches were not simply about football. Union lost their first two — away at Wolfsburg and then against RB Leipzig — which only sharpened the scrutiny. But then came a draw against Cologne, a composed 3-1 victory at Mainz, and a final-day 4-0 win over Augsburg. At the full-time whistle in Mainz, she punched the air and turned to applaud Union's travelling support. It felt earned.

There was ugliness too. Sexist and derogatory abuse spread across social media after her appointment, something Union Berlin publicly condemned in the strongest terms. But Eta also received messages from women and girls who said her journey had given them belief. Both things were true at the same time, and she held that tension with the same composure she brought to the touchline.

"I wanted to impress through my work, my performance and my approach as a manager, not because I'm a woman or because I'm supposed to represent or embody something special," she said, reflecting on the experience. "I wanted to be judged by the same standards as my male colleagues." It is a straightforward ask, really — and one that should not still feel radical in 2026.

Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany was among those who noted that Eta's appointment could open doors for younger women who want to coach. She is more measured about legacy, though. Her focus is on the work in front of her, which this season means leading Union Berlin's women's side — a move that had been planned before the Baumgart situation accelerated her timeline.

The women's team made a difficult start, losing 4-1 to Bayern Munich on the opening day and failing to pick up a point in their first four matches. But results have improved since, with victories against RB Leipzig, Stuttgart and a cup win over Magdeburg demonstrating that the side is finding its feet. Eta has shifted her system from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 as she searches for the identity she wants to build — a team, she says, that plays "with courage, energy and intensity" and one that looks to dominate rather than simply react.

"It isn't just about results and league positions," she explains. "It's just as important to me that the players continue to develop, that we improve as a team, and that we play a style of football we can identify with."

That philosophy — patient, people-centred, clear in its values — runs through everything Eta says about her coaching. She talks about bringing players along with you, giving them confidence and solutions, helping them grow. It sounds less like a tactical manifesto and more like what good management actually looks like at any level of the game.

She never set out to make history. But she made it anyway, and she did it on her own terms. That feels like the most important part.

FAQs

Frequently asked

Who is Marie-Louise Eta and why is she significant in football?
Marie-Louise Eta is a 35-year-old German coach who in April 2026 became the first woman to take interim charge of a men's team in one of Europe's big five leagues, managing Union Berlin in the Bundesliga. She had previously made history as the first female assistant coach in the men's Bundesliga.
How did Union Berlin perform under Marie-Louise Eta as interim manager?
Eta took charge for five Bundesliga matches, recording two wins, one draw and two defeats. Union Berlin finished the season in 11th place, successfully avoiding relegation — which was the primary objective when she was appointed.
What is Marie-Louise Eta doing now after her interim spell with Union Berlin's men's team?
Following her interim stint with the men's first team, Eta took charge of Union Berlin's women's side for the 2026-27 season. The role had been planned in advance, with the interim appointment bringing forward her public profile ahead of that transition.