England football

Auckland's floods unearthed a precious medal for Kiwi football great Michele Cox, carrying special memories of her professional career.

She won the World Cup and Olympic gold as captain, and then again as the coach of Germany. “She had no idea who Michele McCahill was, but when I walked over to her and she recognised me, we jumped around the room like little girls.” That was the calibre of players, and then there was me - just 19 years old.” One of her goals was voted Tors de Monats – the German goal of the month. It was at that tournament the Cox mother-and-daughter duo made world football history, while playing together in defence in their 1-0 win over the United States. The pendant was a keepsake from the two German Cup titles Cox won with the team; a tiny replica of the winners’ trophy. Five months later, she was signed up by the star TSV Siegen club - arriving near the end of the 1988 season. The club was famous for hosting visiting English premier teams – Manchester United had a disco there in 1975 after beating Auckland 2-0. She also drove the successful bid to have the inaugural FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in 2008 played in New Zealand. Cox would go on to play for the Football Ferns for 11 years. Michele Cox opened the box and out flowed a wave of memories. But it also reminds me of Germany’s reunification, and how happy the people were.”