West Ham United women’s team forward Shekiera Martinez was full of pride when she received her first call-up to Germany’s senior national team.
As soon as she was rewarded with her first taste of international football at U15 level, the 24-year-old set her sights on donning her country's colours in their first team. And after years of hard work, goals and assists, during the upcoming October international break, those dreams will turn into reality.
On Saturday 11 October, Martinez was enjoying some time with her toy poodles, Ruby and Ivy, when a call from an unknown number appeared on her phone…
“When the chief coach (Christian Wück) called me, I put the call on speaker because I couldn’t hear who was on the phone,” Martinez explained. “Then, after ten seconds I said, ‘Sorry, who’s on the phone?’. It was a little bit embarrassing! But he was really nice.
“He said that I’m an interesting player and that he wants me to come to the camp for the games this month. I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say. I was just so happy!
“My girlfriend was the first person I told, and then I told my siblings as well. I was just at home cuddling with my dogs! It was the perfect time for me to get the call because I was just chilling.
“For me, because the news only came out yesterday (Tuesday), I was really nervous for three days. But it was a great feeling [when it was announced]. A lot of people have texted me and Rehanne [Skinner] also put up a picture of me in a meeting this week. It was really cute, everybody celebrated me.
“My family were all screaming when I told them. My Mum told me that she prayed for this moment. Yes [it’s a dream come true]. It’s a big moment for me to go with the senior national team.
“I had lots of nice text messages. A good friend of mine from the national team, Nicole Anyomi [who I played with at Eintracht Frankfurt] called me and said, ‘Finally we can play together again!’. Also my U23s coach texted me to tell me just to play my game, and that I can do it.”
After a stellar first five months in England’s top flight, scoring ten goals in 12 league appearances, it’s no surprise that Martinez’s form caught the eye of Wück. Following her WSL debut in January, our No19 played a pivotal role in our record-breaking 2024/25 season.
She became the first West Ham player to win a WSL Player of the Month award, an accolade she clinched in both March and April, was named our Young Hammer of the Year and won the Rising Star award at the Women’s Professional Game Awards.
Martinez has also started this season with goals against Charlton Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion in the Subway® Women's League Cup, and is feeling in good form heading into the international camp.
“I really like the way it’s gone, from leaving Frankfurt, to going to Freiburg on loan and then coming here,” she continued. “I’ve really had good seasons and I love playing football. It makes it easy for me to play, and that’s the reason I’m really happy for the call-up now.
“Since I started playing with the U15s, it’s been my aim to play for the first team. It’s a dream for all national players.
“In my head I’ve thought, ‘It would be nice to play with the first team one day’, but I never put pressure on myself. I never said, ‘Hopefully this year, or next year’. I was just focusing on doing my best in training and thinking that if the coach (Wück) likes what I’m doing here, then I will be happy to go [with the first team].
“This is one of the proudest moments of my career. It’s a big step. I’ve already had so many text messages from my family asking to come to the games. I’m trying to organise a lot of tickets!”
A debut during the October international break will certainly be a baptism of fire for Martinez, as Germany are gearing up for a UEFA Women’s Nations League semi-final against France.
After finishing top of Group A1, boasting five wins and one draw from their six games, Germany will go head-to-head with the Group A2 winners over two legs in the last four, with the sides set to meet first at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf at 4.45pm BST on Friday 24 October, before reconvening at the Stade Michel-d'Ornano in Caen at 8.10pm GMT on Tuesday 28 October.
“They’re really big games,” said Martinez. “I don’t want to think about it too much, because if I think about it I get nervous. I’ll go there and give it my best, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself.”
