The life of a footballer must be a bit weird. One moment you're going about your business, playing regularly for club and country - and then an offer can come out of the blue to change the course of your whole life.
That's how it happened for Georgia Stanway. The Lionesses midfielder was a regular for Manchester City in 2021/22, albeit with some frustrations about playing something of a utility role.
But then Stanway got the call from her agent that Bayern Munich were interested in her services.
Georgia Stanway: "I wanted to go into an environment where I didn’t know anyone and no one knew me"
Although Stanway had her doubts, it quickly became apparent that it was an offer she could not turn down.
The 26 year old won the fans' player of the season award in her first season at Bayern, and barely missed a game for the club until a knee injury ended her season in December.
Stanway told FourFourTwo how that transfer came about, saying: "It was pretty random. [Bayern] contacted my agency – it wasn’t something I was expecting and I didn’t expect to take as much as a liking as I did.
"They sold it to me. They pitched it very well and straight away I knew it was what I wanted to do.
"I wanted to go into an environment where I didn’t know anyone and no one knew me. I could throw myself into it, and that’s what I’ve done in the past three years.
"We’ve won three Frauen-Bundesliga and one DFB-Supercup, so I have a massive list of achievements from being there. It’s the best decision I’ve made in my career."
There are things Stanway misses about being in England, though: "The home comforts – restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, all of the little things that are easy when you go home.
"Something super hard is being away from my family.
"I miss them a lot – they also have busy schedules, so it’s not like they can come over all the time.
"I speak to them on the phone, though, and they come over to see me when they can.
