Goalkeeper Maria Luisa Grohs talks openly about her fight with cancer. She now wants to give courage to others.
Maria Luisa Grohs, the goalkeeper of Bayern München, wants to be a role model after her successful fight against cancer. She openly shows the scar on her neck from surgery and says it does not bother her. For her, the scar is a sign of what she has gone through and survived.
Grohs says that no one should feel ashamed of their scars. She asks young people in particular to take their bodies seriously and to get regular health checks. Health, she explains, is more important than any game or result.
In October 2024, doctors found a tumor in Grohs’ neck. She had surgery in December to remove it. The time in hospital and the weeks after the operation were hard for her, both physically and mentally.
Despite this, Grohs did not really think about ending her football career. She stayed focused on her goal to return to the pitch. In March 2025, she made her comeback in competitive football and went back between the posts for Bayern München.
Today, Grohs still has regular follow-up checks to watch her health. She says she feels some tension before these appointments, because she knows they can bring bad news as well as good news. But she goes to every check-up, as she has learned how important early detection is.
At the same time, Grohs is calm and confident about the future. She believes she can handle new problems if they come. She knows now that listening to her body and respecting her limits are part of being both an athlete and a person.
On the pitch, Grohs is currently fighting for the starting spot in goal with her teammate Ena Mahmutovic. She describes this as healthy competition. Both push each other in training, which helps them grow and keeps the level in the team high.
Grohs says this battle for the number one shirt is normal in top football. She tries to see it in a positive way: it keeps her sharp and reminds her not to take any game for granted, especially after her illness.
Her cancer story has changed how Grohs looks at her life. She still has a clear goal: she wants to play football at the highest level and enjoy every match. But she now knows that her happiness does not depend only on being on the pitch.
Grohs says that time with family and friends, and feeling healthy and safe, are just as important as sport. Football is a big part of her life, but it is not everything. This is the lesson she wants to share with others who may be going through illness or other hard times.
