West Ham United are pleased to announce the signing of Germany international midfielder Julia Simic.
Capped twice, Simic has enjoyed an outstanding career in her homeland, winning two German Cups and the Bundesliga title with VfL Wolfsburg in 2017.
An attack-minded player, the 29-year-old has also played for Bayern Munich, 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam and SC Freiburg, scoring 64 goals in 236 career appearances, and will bring undoubted quality to the West Ham squad.
It's an adventure! It's a new approach and it's exciting and we have a lot of highly-motivated people around here
Julia Simic
“I've been in the Bundesliga for 13 years now, as I started when I was 16, and I always dreamed of going to another country and playing for a team outside Germany and now is the time,” said Simic. "I'm 29 now and I'm old enough to go and see some other things; a new country, a new culture and also a new language.
"West Ham is known as a big Club in Germany so when the offer came I was really excited. When I saw the facilities, I was 100 per cent sure I wanted to do this and we have really, really good quality in the team, a good trainer and nice staff, so I hope it works out well."
Simic says that, while West Ham are new to the professional party, unlike the established clubs she played for in Germany, the Hammers' is an exciting project to be part of.
"It's an adventure! It's a new approach and it's exciting and we have a lot of highly-motivated people around here. We might not be one of the big old clubs like Manchester City or Chelsea, but it is nice to build something up with a really good team spirit.
"It's the same for the other players who have come here, like Claire Rafferty or Gilly Flaherty. They are already big players who played for big teams, but they saw something new and it could be a really nice thing at the end when it's working and everything is good.
"I'm 29, so I'm not the youngest any more, so I can take on a leadership role inside the team, which is also my goal."
Born in the city of Furth in northern Bavaria in May 1989, Simic played for local clubs Tuspo Furth, ASV Vach, DJK Eibach and SV 1873 Nürnberg Süd before joining Bayern at the age of 16 in 2005.
The teenager marked her debut with a goal in a Bundesliga victory at Freiburg and went on to spend eight seasons at the Grünwalder Stadium, appearing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and winning the German Cup for the first time in 2011.
In 2013, Simic joined Bundesliga big guns Turbine Potsdam, enjoying her most productive season so far in 2013/14, scoring 12 goals and helping her club reach the Champions League semi-finals.
Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg snapped up her services after just one season in Potsdam and celebrated her move by winning a second German Cup in 2015. A maiden Bundesliga winner’s medal followed in 2017.
Internationally, Simic was part of the Germany squad which won the UEFA Women’s U19 Championship in 2007 and finished third at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup the following year, and made her senior debut against Austria in October 2016.
West Ham United would like to welcome Julia and her family to the Club and wish her every success in her career in Claret and Blue.
*Season Tickets for West Ham United's first season in the Women’s Super League are now on sale, starting from just £15!
Come and enjoy the top tier of the women's game at Rush Green with the Hammers this season. Pick up your Season Ticket from the link here!
