Bernadette Amani 'living her dream' at Bayern and WAFCON

https://p.dw.com/p/5Hs69Bernadette Amani picked up two pieces of silverware in her first half-season in MunichImage: Ralf Ibing/firo Sportphoto/picture allianceAdvertisementSeven months after moving to Germany, Bernadette Amani is clearly where she wants to be, having won both the Bundesliga and the German Cup in her first half-season since joining Bayern Munich.

"It's a dream come true for me to be here, and I'm living my dream to the full," the 28-year-old midfielder told DW in an exclusive interview shortly before the Women's Africa Cup of Nations kicked off in Morocco this month. "Munich is a very, very big club. Beyond just making me happy, it's a real achievement, a dream come true to be here, to play for such a prestigious club."

Amani added that playing for Bayern's women has been a major step up from what she had come to know playing for CD Tenerife Femenino of Liga F, Spain's topflight. "I was already professional when I was in Spain, but let's just say it wasn't quite the same level of professionalism," she explained. "In Spain or the Ivory Coast, the coaching staff might have consisted of no more than five or six people.

But here there are eight or 10 people. And that enables them (the players) to perform at that high level for a long time." This structure, and the experience of the players around her, she said, make it virtually impossible for a new player not to improve on their own game.

"I've learned a great deal about aspects I wasn't already aware of; how to position myself, how to position my body, how to interact with the ball and how to think. Really understanding the game is something I'm gradually learning alongside (the players) and the coaching staff."At Bayern for less than a year Bernadette Amani says the professional environment has helped make her a better playerImage: Jenni Maul/Eibner-Pressefoto/picture alliance Moving to the capital to further education Getting to the Bundesliga champions was anything but a straight, plotted path for Amani, who, when she began kicking a ball with the boys in her local village as a youngster, had no idea that football could be a career option.

Her parents were anything but encouraging of her passion. They just wanted their daughter to get a good education. To this end, she wound up moving from the village of Dougbafla, where she grew up, to the capital, Abidjan — a move that turned out to be pivotal to her career as a footballer.

"I discovered the women's football league. I went to a match and, as luck would have it, it was the top team against the second-placed team," she recalled. "I saw the intensity, I saw the technique, and then I heard that so-and-so isn't here today because she's playing in Serbia, another isn't here today because she's playing in Turkey.

And that was a real eye-opener for me; it made me realize that I could make a living from what I love."Bayern's 4-0 win over Wolfsburg in the final gave Bernadette Amani her second title in MunichImage: Nico Herbertz/IMAGO One of the clubs she watched on that day in 2019, Onze Soeurs de Gagnoa, offered her a trial – and she made it. Within a year, she was in Spain's third tier, and five years later, she found herself in Liga F with Eibar.

Always looking to take that next step, she quickly moved on to Tenerife, her launching pad for Bayern, which she describes as "the top." Still, there's no question of complacency. "Someone on the outside will say to you: 'You've put in the effort, you've made it to Bayern, a club that wins titles, that's professional and renowned all over the world," she said.

"But someone who's involved in football will tell you that's where the hard part begins. Staying there is even better. And it's hard not to let your guard down."

Top three the goal at WAFCON For the next couple of weeks though, her focus will be on her role as captain of Ivory Coast at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations. WAFCON 2026, for which Ivory Coast were one of four late additions after the tournament was expanded from 12 to 16 teams at the last minute, marks the country's return to the continental competition after an absence of 12 years. "The target that has been set for us is, of course, to do no worse than we did at the last Africa Cup of Nations we took part in — that is, to finish third," she said.

Amani noted that while Ivory Coast now have more players in top leagues in Europe than in 2014, almost half the squad will stand to make their first appearance at a WAFCON. Still, she appeared quietly optimistic. "We're going to focus on our own game, and we know that we've got qualities that could give (our opponents) a run for their money," she said.

The Lady Elephants did more than that in Casablanca on Monday, cruising past Burkina Faso 4-1 in their opening match, putting them top of Group B. Their second match, on Friday against South Africa, ranked second on the continent, could provide Amani's side with a sterner test – despite South Africa having been upset 2-1 by lowly Tanzania in