Jule Brand interview: OL Lyonnes midfielder on the squad's hunger to win a ninth Women's Champions League title
Thursday, April 2, 2026
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Jule Brand spoke to UEFA about her first season playing for OL Lyonnes in the UEFA Women's Champions League, as her side faces her former club Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals.
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"I remember on the first day I was very nervous," Jule Brand told UEFA, as she reflected on signing for eight-time Women's Champions League winners OL Lyonnes last summer.
"Seeing all the big names, girls I really looked up to when I was young, was motivational and it pushed me."
The 23-year-old Germany international has made a strong impact during her first season with the French champions, scoring once and assisting twice in the Women's Champions League while helping the team to a second-place finish in the league phase table.
Her team's next challenge is to come from behind to beat Brand's former club, Wolfsburg, in the quarter-finals, after losing last week's first leg 1-0 — a game Brand came off the bench in.
The second leg will be a competition-record 13th meeting between the two sides in the Women's Champions League, a history which takes in four finals contested by the longstanding rivals.
Brand knows the opposition well, as she was on the opposite side when OL Lyonnes defeated Wolfsburg twice in the group stage of last season's competition.
"We have to give our best as Wolfsburg are a really good team, but we trust in our team and our strengths and we want to give everything on the pitch to go through to the next round," Brand said.
Being part of an experienced OL Lyonnes squad, in which several of her team-mates have won multiple European crowns, has motivated Brand to take her game to a different level.
"When I started, I saw that all the players had won so many titles before and they still have the hunger to win every title again.
"I see this in training, where the standards are so high, and it makes me push myself and adapt to get to their level.
"On the pitch I learn from so many great players, as everybody can do something special.
"There's a mentality and hunger to really give everything in every training session and every game, which is really special and I learn from that."
Last summer, Brand shone on an international stage as Germany reached the Women's EURO 2025 semi-finals, and her performances earned her a place in UEFA's Team of the Tournament.
She has represented her nation more than 60 times, and started both legs of last year's UEFA Women's Nations League final when Germany finished as runners-up to Spain.
Upon joining a dressing room with experienced Women's Champions League winners such as Wendie Renard and Ada Hegerberg, Brand is ambitious to now become part of the competition's legacy herself with OL Lyonnes.
"The Champions League is very special at OL Lyonnes. The team have won a lot of trophies before and we want to win the next one this season.
"When I signed for OL Lyonnes, I knew the aim would be to win the Champions League and to keep the legacy going.
"I also see the hunger from all the players, from everyone at the club, to win it again, which is inspirational, and it’s something I look up to."
For Brand, stepping out onto the pitch and hearing the Women's Champions League anthem reminds her she is appearing on what she describes as "the biggest stage in women's football".
"It was a dream for me to play in the Champions League one day, and when I hear the anthem, it reminds me: 'Okay, it really happened, now lock in and give everything'."
* This interview was conducted on 17 March
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