Alina Grijseels rose to prominence during a nine-season stint with Dortmund, playing her first European cup competitions in that period and demanding attention in the EHF Champions League in 2020/21 and 2021/22 in particular. But in the background, she was dealing with the cancer diagnosis and eventual death of her partner. In the aftermath and still existing grief, now playing for Metz and a joint captain for Germany, she is finding her way forward, with high hopes for her career and personal journey.