Bayern Munich's Bernadette Amani lives her football dream

Ivorian midfielder Bernadette Amani, 28, is preparing for her first complete Bundesliga season with FC Bayern Munich after already winning both the German league title and the DFB-Pokal in her opening half-season in Germany, she told Deutsche Welle.

"For me it is a dream come true to be here, and I am living my dream to the fullest," said Amani, who recently captained Ivory Coast at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). "Munich is a very, very big club."

From Tenerife to a bigger stage

Amani said the move from Spain's CD Tenerife Femenino, in the top division Liga F, was a clear step up. "I was already a professional in Spain, but let's just say the level of professionalism was not quite the same."

She pointed to the depth of Bayern's coaching staff — eight to ten specialists, compared with five or six at previous clubs — as a key factor. "That is what allows the players to perform at that high level over a long period."

Learning the game anew

Working alongside experienced teammates, Amani said she is being pushed to reinvent basic elements of her play. "I have learned a lot about aspects that I had not been aware of before: how I have to position myself, how to use my body, how to handle the ball and how to think."

The path was anything but linear. As a child in her Ivorian village, she played with the boys with no idea football could be a career, and her parents were reluctant supporters. Follow more sports coverage as Bayern's women launch their title defence.