Pauline Machtens

Pauline Annette Machtens (born 28 June 2002) is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hamburger SV in the Frauen-Bundesliga. She represented Germany at under-20 level, appearing at the 2022 FIFA Women's U-20 World Cup in Costa Rica and Panama.

Club career

Bayer Leverkusen Machtens grew up in Hanover and joined Bayer 04 Leverkusen's women's setup, making her senior debut in the Frauen-Bundesliga - Germany's top tier - in the 2019-20 season, aged 17, with 8 league appearances. She added a further 2 appearances the following season.

Syracuse University Following her time at Leverkusen, Machtens moved to the United States to study and play college football at Syracuse University, combining her sporting and academic ambitions before returning to Germany in 2023.

Hamburger SV On 1 July 2023, Machtens joined Hamburger SV, then competing in the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga, with the move facilitated by her former Leverkusen teammate Nina Brüggemann.

In the 2024-25 season, Machtens made 20 league appearances and scored 2 goals, and stepped up to club captain during an injury absence of first-choice captain Sarah Stöckmann. She contributed across 24 competitive appearances in total (league and cup), registering 3 goals and 3 assists as Hamburger SV won promotion to the Frauen-Bundesliga by defeating SC Freiburg II 3–0 on Matchday 25 - a return to the top flight 13 years after the club had withdrawn their women's team. The club also reached the DFB-Pokal semi-final that season, losing to Werder Bremen 1–3 after extra time at the Volksparkstadion in front of a record 57,000 spectators - the largest attendance ever recorded for a club match in German women's football. In the 2025–26 Frauen-Bundesliga campaign, she has made 20 league appearances alongside 2 cup appearances.