Marleen Schimmer
Marleen Schimmer is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward or midfielder for Frauen-Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. She has previously played for 1. FC Köln and National Women's Soccer League club San Diego Wave FC. Schimmer also played college soccer for the [Arizona State Arizona State Sun Devils women's soccer|Sun Devils women's soccer|Arizona State Sun Devils] and the Grand Canyon Antelopes in the United States. She has represented Germany at under-16, under-17, and under-23 levels.
Youth career
Born in Mainz, Germany, Schimmer started playing football with her brother as a child. She attended Otto-Schott-Gymnasium, where she helped the school's team win the state championship. Schimmer initially played on a men's club in her youth due to an absence of options before joining TSV Schott Mainz as a teenager. She played with the team in the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga for several years, scoring 16 goals in 35 league games. Schimmer departed from Mainz in 2018 to pursue a college career in the United States.College career
Arizona State Sun Devils
In 2018, Schimmer moved to the United States and enrolled in Arizona State University to study psychology. During her two years at Arizona State, she also played college soccer for the Sun Devils. Schimmer scored her first college goal on 14 September 2018, in a 1–0 win over Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. She completed her career with Arizona State having played in 35 matches and scored 11 goals. She was named to the 2018 All-Pac-12 Freshman Team and the 2019 All-Pac-12 Third Team due to her performances as a Sun Devil.Grand Canyon Antelopes
In February 2020, Schimmer transferred out of Arizona State and joined the Grand Canyon Antelopes for her remaining years of college. She had a record-setting senior year, tallying 13 goals and 14 assists to become the program single-season leader in both categories. She also scored a hat-trick within 15 minutes in a 6–1 drubbing of California Baptist during the season. Schimmer was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week in October 2021 and GCU's first-ever WAC Offensive Player of the Year for 2021. She also received Academic All-WAC honors and was named to the All-WAC First Team. Schimmer finished her time at Grand Canyon with 39 goals and 17 assists under her belt.Club career
San Diego Wave
Following her senior season at Grand Canyon University, Schimmer entered the 2022 NWSL Draft. She was selected by San Diego Wave FC in the 1st round of the draft and 9th overall, becoming GCU's first-ever NWSL Draft selection. In January 2022, Schimmer signed her first NWSL contract with the Wave. She played in the team's inaugural match and assisted Kaleigh Riehl's equalizing goal, which was also San Diego's first goal as a franchise. She made her first NWSL regular season start on 18 May 2022 in an away loss to Racing Louisville FC. At the end of the season, the Wave chose not to exercise a contract option on Schimmer, leaving her to pursue other opportunities.1. FC Köln
In January 2023, Schimmer returned to Germany and signed with 1. FC Köln. She started off playing with Köln's under-20 team in the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga. After performing well, Schimmer earned a professional contract with Köln's first team on 8 June 2023. In May 2024, Schimmer was among the list of players departing from Köln at the end of the season.RB Leipzig
In August 2024, Schimmer signed a one-year contract with RB Leipzig. She scored her first goal with Leipzig on 28 September, contributing to a 3–0 win over Turbine Potsdam. She would score 3 more goals in a total of 17 appearances in her first season at Leipzig. At the end of the season, she extended her contract with the club through 2027.Schimmer kicked off her second season at Leipzig on a good note, scoring and assisting in the opening match of the 2025–26 season to help beat her former club, 1. FC Köln. She soon became one of the team's most important offensive players, alongside Giovanna Hoffmann, before sustaining an ankle injury in October 2025 that interrupted her positive momentum.