Germany
Football World Cup 2006 Germany
Germany
Germany
|
Nickname |
Die Nationalelf
(The National Eleven) |
Association |
German Football Association
(Deutscher Fußball-Bund) |
Coach |
Jürgen Klinsmann, 2004- |
Most
caps |
Lothar Matthäus (150) |
Top scorer |
Gerd Müller (68) |
First international
Switzerland 5 - 3 Germany
(Basel, Switzerland; 5 April 1908) |
Largest win
Germany 16 - 0
Russia
(Stockholm, Sweden; 1 July 1912) |
Worst defeat
England 9 - 0 Germany
(Oxford, England; 16 March 1909) |
World Cup |
Appearances |
16 (First in
1934) |
Best result |
Winners,
1954, 1974, 1990 |
European Championship |
Appearances |
9 (First in
1972) |
Best result |
Winners,
1972, 1980, 1996 |
The Germany national football team represents
Germany
in international
football competitions, and is controlled by the German Football Association, the governing body of football in Germany.
The current coaching staff of the national team include head coach
Jürgen Klinsmann, assistant coach Joachim Löw, team manager Oliver Bierhoff
and goalkeeper coach Andreas Köpke.
History
Germany are one of the most successful national football teams in the
world. They have won the
World Cup three times, behind only
Brazil (five titles) and tied with
Italy, and finished as runners-up four times. The Germans have also
qualified for every World Cup they have entered (they did not enter the
inaugural competition in
1930 and were barred from entering the 1950 tournament). Germany have also
won the European Championship three times (France
are the only other multiple-time winners with two titles), and finished as
runners-up twice. The Germans failed to qualify for the first European
Championship they entered in
1968 but have qualified for every subsequent tournament.
Early years
Between 1899 and 1901 there were five unofficial international matches
between different German and English selection teams, which all ended as
large defeats for the German teams. Eight years after the establishment of
the German Football Association (DFB), the first official match of the
Germany national football team was played on 5 April 1908, against
Switzerland at
Basel, with
the Swiss winning 5-3. The players were selected by the DFB as there was no
coach at that time.
The first coach of the Germany national team was
Otto Nerz, a school teacher from Mannheim, from 1923 to 1936. Germany
finished third in the 1934 World Cup in their first ever World Cup
appearance. Two years later, Sepp Herberger took over as coach. In the 1938
World Cup, some Austrians played in the German team after Anschluss.
They were knocked out in the first round, the only time this has happened in
a World Cup.
Post WWII
East German Soccer
From 1949 to 1990,
East Germany (German Democratic Republic) were represented by a separate
national football team.
The Miracle of Bern
After the division of Germany and being barred from entering the
1950 World Cup, West Germany, captained by Fritz Walter and still coached by
Sepp Herberger, tasted their first success in the 1954 World Cup. Playing
favorites Hungary in the final, who had beaten them 8-3 in a first round
match, they came back from an early two goal deficit to win 3-2, with Helmut
Rahn scoring the winning goal with only six minutes remaining. The success
is called the Miracle of Bern, and it created a sense of euphoria in postwar
Germany and is credited with playing a large role in the country's economic
recovery.
Memorable losses: "Wembley goal" and "Game of the Century"
After finishing fourth in the
1958 World Cup and reaching the quarter-finals in the 1962 World Cup, Helmut
Schön took over as coach in 1964. In the 1966 World Cup, West Germany reached the final, facing hosts
England at
Wembley Stadium. Wolfgang Weber's last minute goal took the game into extra
time, but Geoff Hurst scored two goals there to complete his hat-trick,
giving England a 4-2 win. The first extra time goal by Hurst, nicknamed "Wembley-Tor"
(Wembley goal) in Germany, has remained controversial even to this date.
Many Germans believed that the goal was given incorrectly, citing the
possible bias of the linesman, and a 1995 research by Oxford University
using computer video analysis of the television footage that concluded the shot had not crossed the goal
line. However, Weber's equaliser was itself controversial, with the ball
appearing to hit the hand of a
German
player as it travelled through the England
penalty area before he prodded it in.
West Germany suffered another memorable extra time loss in the
1970 World Cup, this time in the semi-finals to
Italy at
Estadio Azteca. Karl-Heinz Schnellinger scored during injury time to level
the match at 1-1, and during extra time, both teams held the lead at one
time, while Franz Beckenbauer remained on the field even with a dislocated
shoulder, his arm in a sling strapped to his body. Eventually won 4-3 by
Italy, this match is one of the most dramatic in World Cup history, and is
called Jahrhundertspiel (Game of the Century) in Germany. West Germany went
on to claim third place by beating Uruguay 1-0, and Gerd Müller finished as
the tournament top scorer with 10 goals.
World Cup title on home soil
In 1971, Franz Beckenbauer became captain of the national side, and he
led West Germany to great success as they became both the European and world
champions. First they won the European Championship for the first time in
Euro 72, after beating the Soviet Union 3-0 in the final. Then as hosts of
the 1974 World Cup, they won their second World Cup title, after beating the
Netherlands 2-1 in the final at
Olympiastadion.
Two matches in the 1974 World Cup stood out for West Germany. The first
group stage saw a politically charged match as West and
East Germany played each other, which the East won 1-0. The other match was
the final against the Johan Cruijff-led Dutch team and their brand of Total
Football. It began dramatically as Cruijff was brought down in the German
penalty area following a solo run, and the Dutch took the lead from the
ensuing penalty before any of the German players had even touched the ball
and with just a minute gone on the clock. However, West Germany managed to
come back, tying the match on a penalty scored by Paul Breitner, and winning
it with Gerd Müller's goal just before half-time.
Late 1970s and early 1980s
West Germany failed to defend their titles in the next two major
international tournaments. First they lost to
Czechoslovakia in the final of Euro 76 in a penalty shootout by a score of
5-3, after the match finished 2-2. Then in the 1978 World Cup, they were
eliminated in the second group stage after losing 3-2 to Austria. Schön
retired as coach afterwards, and the post was taken over by his assistant
Jupp Derwall.
West Germany's first tournament under Derwall was successful, as they won
Euro 80 after beating Belgium 2-1 in the final, their second European title.
West Germany then reached the final of the 1982 World Cup, but not without
difficulties. They were upset 2-1 by Algeria in their first match, but
managed to sneak into the second round with a controversial 1-0 win over
Austria as the result advanced both teams at the expense of Algeria.
Then in their semi-final against
France, they came back from 3-1 down during extra time to tie the match
3-3, and won the following penalty shootout 5-4. In the final, they were
comfortably defeated by
Italy by a score of 3-1.
Beckenbauer's triumph as coach
After being eliminated in the first round of
Euro 84, Franz Beckenbauer returned to the national team and replaced
Derwall as coach. In the 1986 World Cup, West Germany finished as runners-up for the second
consecutive time, after again beating
France 2-0 in the semi-finals, but losing to the
Diego Maradona-led
Argentina 3-2 in the final. In
Euro 88, West Germany's hopes of winning the tournament on home soil
were spoiled by the
Netherlands, as the Dutch gained revenge of their loss in 1974 by
beating them 2-1 in the semi-final.
In the
1990 World Cup, West Germany finally won their third World Cup title after
two consecutive second-place finishes. Captained by Lothar Matthäus, they
were worthy champions as they defeated Yugoslavia (4-1), UAE (5-1), the
Netherlands (2-1),
Czechoslovakia (1-0), and
England (1-1, 4-3 on penalty kicks) on the way to a final rematch
against
Argentina. In a dull match, West Germany won 1-0 with the only goal
being a penalty scored in the 85th minute by
Andreas Brehme. Beckenbauer, who won the title as captain in 1974, thus
became the second person (after Mário Zagallo) to have won the World Cup as both a player and a coach,
and the first as both a captain and a coach.
Mixed results in the 1990s
After the World Cup win in 1990, assistant
Berti Vogts took over from Beckenbauer as the national team coach. Moreover,
the reunificiation of Germany meant players from East Germany, such as
Matthias Sammer and Ulf Kirsten, became eligible to represent the new
unified team. In Euro 92, Germany reached the final, but lost 2-0 to
surprise winners Denmark. Then as defending champions in the 1994 World Cup,
they were upset 2-1 in the quarter-finals by Bulgaria after taking the lead.
Germany won their first major international title after the reunification
at
Euro 96, becoming European champions for the third time. They defeated
England, who were the hosts, again on penalty kicks (6-5, after a 1-1
draw) in the semi-finals, and the
Czech Republic 2-1 in the final, a match decided by a
golden goal scored by Oliver Bierhoff. However, in the 1998 World Cup, Germany were again eliminated by a less heralded
opponent in the quarter-finals, this time in a 3-0 rout by
Croatia. Vogts stepped down afterwards and was replaced by
Erich Ribbeck.
Into the 21st century
Entering the 21st century, Germany's standing as one of the best national
sides in the world and a team that almost always reach the later rounds of
major tournaments are starting to be threatened by disappointing results. In
Euro 2000, they went out in the first round after failing to win any of
their three matches, including an embarrassing 3-0 loss to a second-string
Portugal side.
Rudi Völler replaced Ribbeck as coach, initially on a temporary basis, and
later permanently after planned successor Christoph Daum was involved in a drug scandal.
Coming into the
2002 World Cup, expectations of the German team were low, due to poor
results in the qualifiers, including a 5-1 home defeat against
England. However, they started out strong by thrashing
Saudi Arabia 8-0 in their first match. At the knockout stages, they
produced three consecutive 1-0 wins, against
Paraguay, the
United States, and co-hosts
South Korea, setting up a final against
Brazil, the first World Cup meeting between the two most successful
teams in World Cup history. However, with the pivotal
Michael Ballack suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, Germany lost 2-0.
German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn was voted the best player of the tournament, the first time in the World Cup's history
a goalkeeper became the best player of the tournament. Simultaneously, he
won the Yashin-Award as the best goalkeeper.
Unfortunately, Germany failed to build on their success in 2002, and
again exited in the first round of
Euro 2004 without winning a match. Völler resigned afterwards, and the
national team had to find their third new coach in six years, after having
only six coaches in the previous 75 years. After prospective candidates
including Ottmar Hitzfeld and Otto Rehhagel turned down the job, former
national team player Jürgen Klinsmann, who had never held any coaching jobs before, was
appointed, with his main task being leading the national team to a good
showing at the
2006 World Cup, which Germany will host.
World Cup record
Germany, pre-division
1930 - Did not enter
1934 - Third place
1938 - Round 1
West Germany
1950 - Did not enter , because DFB was not FIFA-Member
1954 - Champions
1958 - Fourth place
1962 - Quarterfinals
1966 - Runners-up
1970 - Third place
1974 - Champions
1978 - Round 2
1982 - Runners-up
1986 - Runners-up
1990 - Champions
Germany, post-unification
1994 - Quarterfinals
1998 - Quarterfinals
2002 - Runners-up
2006 - Qualified (Host)
European Championship record
West Germany
1960 - Did not enter
1964 - Did not enter
1968 - Did not qualify
1972 - Champions
1976 - Runners-up
1980 - Champions
1984 - Round 1
1988 - Semifinals
Germany, post-unification
1992 - Runners-up
1996 - Champions
2000 - Round 1
2004 - Round 1
Players
Famous past players
Franz Beckenbauer
Paul Breitner
Andreas Brehme
Karlheinz Förster
Thomas Häßler
Helmut Haller
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Kohler
Sepp Maier
|
|
Lothar Matthäus
Andreas Möller
Gerd Müller
Günter Netzer
Wolfgang Overath
Helmut Rahn
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Matthias Sammer (also played for East Germany)
Harald 'Toni' Schumacher
|
|
Bernd Schuster
Uwe Seeler
Toni Turek
Berti Vogts
Rudi Völler
Fritz Walter
Wolfgang Weber
|
Honorary team captains (Ehrenspielführer) are Fritz Walter, Uwe Seeler,
Franz Beckenbauer and Lothar Matthäus.
Current players
Players who have been recently called up to the Germany national squad
include: (caps and goals accurate up to
March 23, 2006)
- Goalkeepers
-
23.
Timo Hildebrand -
VfB Stuttgart (3 caps, 0 goals)
-
1.
Oliver Kahn -
Bayern Munich (84 caps, 0 goals)
-
9.
Jens Lehmann -
Arsenal (29 caps, 0 goals)
- Defenders
-
3.
Arne Friedrich -
Hertha BSC Berlin (34 caps, 0 goals)
-
28.
Manuel Friedrich -
1. FSV Mainz 05 (0 caps, 0 goals)
-
2.
Andreas Hinkel -
VfB Stuttgart (17 caps, 0 goals)
-
5.
Robert Huth -
Chelsea (15 caps, 2 goals)
-
24.
Marcell Jansen -
Borussia Mönchengladbach (4 caps, 0 goals)
-
16.
Philipp Lahm -
Bayern Munich (17 caps, 1 goal)
-
29.
Per Mertesacker -
Hanover 96 (20 caps, 1 goal)
-
21.
Christoph Metzelder -
Borussia Dortmund (19 caps, 0 goals)
-
25.
Patrick Owomoyela -
Werder Bremen (11 caps, 0 goals)
- Midfielders
-
13.
Michael Ballack (captain) -
Bayern Munich (63 caps, 30 goals)
-
18.
Tim Borowski -
Werder Bremen (17 caps, 1 goal)
-
26.
Sebastian Deisler -
Bayern Munich (36 caps, 3 goals)
(Deisler will miss 2006 World Cup due to knee injury)
-
15.
Fabian Ernst -
FC Schalke 04 (24 caps, 1 goal)
-
8.
Torsten Frings -
Werder Bremen (49 caps, 6 goals)
-
6.
Thomas Hitzlsperger -
VfB Stuttgart (13 caps, 0 goals)
-
17.
Sebastian Kehl -
Borussia Dortmund (25 caps, 3 goals)
-
19.
Bernd Schneider -
Bayer Leverkusen (61 caps, 1 goal)
-
7.
Bastian Schweinsteiger -
Bayern Munich (25 caps, 5 goals)
- Forwards
-

14.
Gerald Asamoah -
FC Schalke 04 (38 caps, 6 goals)
-
10.
Mike Hanke -
VfL Wolfsburg (6 caps, 1 goal)
-

11.
Miroslav Klose -
Werder Bremen (52 caps, 21 goals)
-

22.
Kevin Kurányi -
FC Schalke 04 (35 caps, 14 goals)
-

30.
Oliver Neuville -
Borussia Mönchengladbach (52 caps, 6 goals)
-

20.
Lukas Podolski -
1.
FC Köln (22 caps, 10 goals)
Player records
Most capped players
Below is a list of the 20 players with the most
caps for Germany, as of
22 March 2006 (* denotes
active players):
# |
Player |
Germany career |
Caps |
1 |
Lothar Matthäus |
1980-2000 |
150 |
2 |
Jürgen Klinsmann |
1987-1998 |
108 |
3 |
Jürgen Kohler |
1986-1998 |
105 |
4 |
Franz Beckenbauer |
1965-1977 |
103 |
5 |
Thomas Häßler |
1988-2000 |
101 |
6 |
Berti Vogts |
1967-1978 |
96 |
7 |
Sepp Maier |
1966-1979 |
95 |
= |
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge |
1976-1986 |
95 |
9 |
Rudi Völler |
1982-1994 |
90 |
10 |
Andreas Brehme |
1984-1994 |
86 |
11 |
Andreas Möller |
1988-1999 |
85 |
12 |
Oliver Kahn* |
1995-2006 |
84 |
13 |
Karlheinz Förster |
1978-1986 |
81 |
= |
Wolfgang Overath |
1963-1974 |
81 |
15 |
Guido Buchwald |
1984-1994 |
76 |
= |
Harald Schumacher |
1979-1986 |
76 |
17 |
Pierre Littbarski |
1981-1990 |
73 |
18 |
Hans-Peter Briegel |
1979-1986 |
72 |
= |
Uwe Seeler |
1954-1970 |
72 |
= |
Christian Ziege |
1993-2004 |
72 |
[edit]
Top goalscorers
Below is a list of the top 10 goalscorers for Germany, as of 22 March
2006 (* denotes
active players):
# |
Player |
Goals |
1 |
Gerd Müller |
68 |
2 |
Jürgen Klinsmann |
47 |
= |
Rudi Völler |
47 |
4 |
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge |
45 |
5 |
Uwe Seeler |
43 |
6 |
Oliver Bierhoff |
37 |
7 |
Fritz Walter |
33 |
8 |
Klaus Fischer |
32 |
9 |
Ernst Lehner |
31 |
10 |
Michael Ballack* |
30 |
Tournament records
Most World Cups played in: Lothar Matthäus - 5 (all-time record tied
with Mexico's Antonio Carbajal)
Most World Cup match appearances: Lothar Matthäus - 25 (all-time record)
Most World Cup goals: Gerd Müller - 14 (all-time record)
Most European Championship match appearances: Thomas Häßler and Jürgen
Klinsmann - 13
Most European Championship goals: Jürgen Klinsmann - 5
Coaches
Name |
Period |
Matches |
Wins |
Draws |
Losses |
Honours |
DFB committee |
1908-1927 |
63 |
18 |
13 |
32 |
|
Otto Nerz |
1928-1936 |
70 |
42 |
10 |
18 |
|
Sepp Herberger1 |
1936-1964 |
162 |
92 |
26 |
44 |
Champion of
1954 World Cup |
Helmut Schön |
1964-1978 |
139 |
87 |
30 |
22 |
Runner-up of
1966 World Cup, Champion of Euro 72, Champion of 1974 World Cup,
Runner-up of Euro 76 |
Jupp Derwall |
1978-1984 |
67 |
45 |
11 |
11 |
Champion of
Euro 80, Runner-up of 1982 World Cup |
Franz Beckenbauer |
1984-1990 |
66 |
36 |
17 |
13 |
Runner-up of
1986 World Cup, Champion of 1990 World Cup |
Berti Vogts |
1990-1998 |
102 |
67 |
23 |
12 |
Runner-up of
Euro 92, Champion of Euro 96 |
Erich Ribbeck |
1998-2000 |
24 |
10 |
6 |
8 |
|
Rudi Völler |
2000-2004 |
53 |
29 |
11 |
13 |
Runner-up of
2002 World Cup |
Jürgen Klinsmann2 |
2004- |
24 |
13 |
6 |
5 |
|
|
Total |
770 |
439 |
153 |
178 |
|
- Notes
- Record includes periods of pre-division Germany (1936-1942 -- 65
matches: 40 wins, 12 draws, 13 losses) and
West Germany (1950-1964 -- 97 matches: 52 wins, 14 draws, 31 losses).
- Record as of
March 22, 2006.
Notes
- Germany do not have a national stadium, and rotate their home
matches among various stadiums across the country.
- The national team's home shirt colour has always been white, while
the away shirt colour has changed several times. Historically green has
been the most often used colour. Other colours such as grey and black
have also been used. The last change, from black to red, came in
November 2004. Klinsmann hopes to use the red away shirt as first choice
for the 2006 World Cup.
- Germany played in the
FIFA Confederations Cup twice, in 1999 (first round exit) and in 2005 (third place) as hosts.
- Interestingly, Germany have not beaten a European team in the finals
of either the World Cup or the European Championship since their victory
over the
Czech Republic in the
Euro 96 final. It is also often reported in the media that they have
not beaten a "major football power" since their 1-0 victory over
England in
2000. However, which national teams should be considered as "major
football powers" is debatable. For example, Germany have beaten
Mexico and the
United States, who are both ranked in the top ten of the
FIFA World Rankings, during this period.
- Since their
penalty shootout loss to Czechoslovakia in Euro 76, Germany have not lost a penalty shootout in major
international tournaments. In particular,
England suffered two heartbreaking semi-final losses to Germany on
penalties in the 1990s. As England striker
Gary Lineker once said: "Football is a game with 22 people and in
the end the Germans always win." But in reality Germany or German teams
are among the teams with the most final loses (sometimes also very
unlucky), for example in the
FIFA World Cup or in the
UEFA Champions League.
- German teams have something of a tradition of beginning their
history against
Switzerland: The first match of a German national team ever, the
first match of a West German team after
World War II, and the first match of the reunited German team were
all against Switzerland.
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