Rebecca Knaak is a German professional footballer born on 23 June 1996 in Adenau, in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany.
She is known for her commanding presence in defence, technical ability on the ball, and occasional goal-scoring threat from set pieces.
She currently represents Manchester City in the Women’s Super League and the Germany national team.
Raised in the small village of Winnerath near Adenau, Knaak balanced her early football development with education.
She later completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology, which she began in Cologne and finished in Freiburg. She subsequently earned a master’s degree in sports science from the University of Freiburg.
Siblings
Rebecca has a younger brother named Jonas Knaak.
In August 2014, when Rebecca returned home as an 18-year-old after winning the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Jonas was 15 years old.
The family, including parents Heike and Jürgen Knaak, celebrated the achievement together with the local community in Winnerath.
Jonas has spoken publicly about his pride in his sister’s career. He recalled the excitement of watching her youth international matches with the family and neighbours.
Career
Knaak began her youth career with SV Reifferscheid before joining SC 07 Bad Neuenahr. She signed her first professional contract at the age of 15.
She made her Bundesliga debut as a late substitute in a goalless draw against VfL Sindelfingen on 28 October 2012.
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After a season at Bad Neuenahr, she moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2013.
She spent four years at Bayer Leverkusen and scored her first Bundesliga goal in a 5-1 victory over SC Freiburg in November 2014.
In 2017, she transferred to SC Freiburg, where she remained until the end of 2021.
During her time at Freiburg, she established herself as a regular in the Frauen-Bundesliga.
In January 2022, Knaak took the step abroad by signing a three-year deal with Swedish club FC Rosengård.
At Rosengård, she developed further as a leader and goal-scoring defender. She helped the Swedish club achieve domestic success during her time there.
On 1 January 2025, she joined Manchester City on a deal initially running until summer 2026, which was later extended.
She quickly contributed goals in the Women’s Super League, including in a match against Manchester United.
Internationally, Knaak represented Germany at various youth levels, including the U-17, U-19 and U-20 teams.
After a long absence from senior consideration, she earned her first senior call-up in early 2025.
She made her Germany senior debut against the Netherlands in the UEFA Women’s Nations League on 21 February 2025.
She featured in all of Germany’s matches at UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 as the team reached the semi-finals.
Accolades
With Germany’s U-20 side, Knaak won the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2014 in Canada.
Germany defeated Nigeria in the final to claim the title. Earlier, she had finished fourth with Germany at the U-17 World Cup in 2012.
At club level, she won the DFB-Hallenpokal with Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.
With SC Freiburg, she reached the DFB-Pokal final in 2019. At FC Rosengård, she won the Damallsvenskan title in 2022 and again in 2024.
She also won the Svenska Cupen in 2022.
In 2024, she was named Damallsvenskan Defender of the Year after a campaign in which she also scored a high number of league goals for a defender.
With Manchester City, she won the FA Women’s Cup in 2026. She also contributed to the club’s strong Women’s Super League campaigns, including decisive goals in key matches.
On the senior international stage, her consistent performances since her 2025 debut have added to her growing list of recognitions.
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