First she helped Germany qualify for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 with consummate ease, celebrating eight wins in eight matches. Then she clinched a league-and-cup double and triumphed in the Champions League with Lyon. Now, to top it all off, Dzsenifer Marozsan has been nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Player – a gratifying end to a challenging year.

"It’s always special to be among the nominees, and I’m proud of that," Marozsan told FIFA.com. "But it all fades into the background for me compared with all that’s going on at the moment. We have plenty of other problems in our world. I just hope that we’ll get back to normality very soon.

"It's definitely been a very unusual year. It’s frightening to see what’s happening in the world right now, but everyone’s making the best of it, and the most important thing of all is good health. I hope this situation will come to an end sometime and that life will get back to normal. We’re able to play football, and we’re extremely grateful for that."

The 28-year-old has been an established member of the Germany team for many years, winning 102 caps since making her debut against Australia in October 2010. Her skill and ability to read the game also makes her a pivotal player for Lyon, where she has won the French league and UEFA Women’s Champions League four times and the Coupe de France three times.

"I’m extremely grateful for all the years I’ve had," the unassuming star said. "I’ve met so many incredibly great people who have helped me to develop personally – not just as an athlete but as a person too.

"In sporting terms I’ve had the best coaches. They’ve all helped me a little and got another couple of percent out of me. While I see myself as a technically adept player who looks to find her team-mates, I know that there are always more improvements to be made. That’s why I work myself hard every day and hope that I can push on once again."

One of the coaches Marozsan mentioned is Jean-Luc Vasseur. He is in the running for The Best FIFA Women’s Coach 2020 award, having consistently guided Lyon to success since his appointment in June 2019.

"I’m so pleased for him," said Germany’s Women’s Footballer of the Year for 2017, 2018 and 2019. "He came to us from the men’s and youth set-up, and brings so much positive energy to the team. He’s a very optimistic person and really puts that across.

"We’ve got great athletes and characters at Lyon who are also very self-critical, so it’s great to have someone who looks on the bright side – even when things aren’t going so well. That’s his strength. He’s a very good man.

"There are also very different coaches who repeatedly berate their teams, but he’s exactly the opposite. He sees the positives. Of course we also discuss the things that don’t go well, but he always tries to stay positive, and that really is testament to his character."

Talking of character, Marozsan has an admirable ability to overcome every obstacle that stands in her way, including those she faced most recently during the first lockdown.

"It’s tremendously difficult to stay fit and motivate yourself alone, particularly if you’re an athlete in a team sport," she said. "That was the biggest challenge for me, especially completing every training session without a football or my team-mates. That was not an easy thing to get my head around."