Germany national football team

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Germany
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Die Nationalelf
AssociationDeutscher Fußball-Bund — DFB
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachGermany Joachim Löw
CaptainMichael Ballack
Most capsLothar Matthäus (150)
Top scorerGerd Müller (68)
FIFA codeGER
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current5
Highest1 (August 1993)
Lowest23 (March 2006)
First international
  Switzerland 5 - 3 Germany Germany
(Basel, Switzerland; 5 April, 1908)
Biggest win
GermanyGermany 16 - 0 Russia Russia
(Solna, Sweden; July 1, 1912)
Biggest defeat
England England amateur 9 - 0 Germany Germany
(Oxford, England; 16 March, 1909)
World Cup
Appearances16 (first in 1934)
Best result- Winners, 1954, 1974, 1990
European Championship
Appearances9 (first in - 1972)
Best result- Winners, 1972, 1980, 1996
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances2 (first in 1999)
Best result3rd, 2005
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The German national football team (German: Die deutsche Fußballnationalmannschaft) is the football team representing the country of Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the DFB (Deutscher Fußball-Bund, German Football Association) which was founded in 1900.

As a result of the occupation of Germany after World War II, and its division into separate Allied administrative zones, separate national teams were also fielded by East Germany and the Saarland, while the DFB continued to field the national team in the Federal Republic of Germany (commonly referred to as West Germany). Saarland rejoined the federal republic after a 1956 plebiscite and subsequently no longer organized a separate side as its independent football association became part of the DFB. During the Cold War period a separate league structure and related governing body emerged in the Soviet-occupied area of the country and was soon followed by the formation of a GDR (German Democratic Republic) national team in 1952. After German re-unification in 1990 the entire East German football structure was dissolved, much of it being incorporated into the DFB.

Germany has been one of the most successful European national teams at international competitions, having won a total of three World Cups and three European championships; in addition, the team representing East Germany team won the Olympic title in 1976.

The current coaching staff of the national team include head coach Joachim Löw, assistant coach Hans-Dieter Flick, goalkeeper coach Andreas Köpke, athletic coach Mark Verstegen, athletic coach Oliver Schmidtlein and team manager Oliver Bierhoff.

History

Early years

Between 1899 and 1901, prior to the formation of a national side, 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 dedicated coach at that time.

The first coach of the Germany national team was Otto Nerz, a school teacher from Mannheim, who served in the role from 1923 to 1936. Germany did not travel to Uruguay for the first World Cup staged in 1930, but finished third in the 1934 World Cup in their first appearance in the competition. After a poor showing at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Sepp Herberger became coach and in 1937 he put together a squad which was soon nicknamed the Breslau Elf (the Breslau Eleven) in recognition of their 8-0 win over Denmark in the town of Breslau, Lower Silesia (now Wroclaw, Poland).[1]

After Austria was made part of Germany in the March 1938 Anschluss, that country's national team - one of Europe's better sides atthe time - was disbanded despite having already qualified for the upcoming World Cup. A number of Austrian players, many from the club Rapid Wien, were ordered to join the German team on short notice in a staged show of unity orchestrated for political reasons. In the 1938 World Cup, this "united" German team managed only a 1-1 draw against Switzerland and was then knocked out after losing the replay 2-4. That early exit stands as Germany's worst ever World Cup result.

During World War II, the team played over 30 international games between September 1939 and November 1942, when national team play was suspended as most players joined the armed forces. Many of the national team players were gathered together under coach Herberger as Luftwaffen-SV Hamburg through the efforts of a sympathetic air force officer trying to protect the footballers from the most dangerous wartime service.

Three German Teams

After the Second World War, Germany was banned from competition in most sports until late 1950 or longer, with all three new German states being barred from entering the 1950 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Germany 1908 to present

As in most aspects of life, the pre-war traditions and organisations of Germany were carried on by the Federal Republic of Germany which was commonly called West Germany. This applied also to the DFB which was based in Frankfurt/Main and still employed coach Sepp Herberger. With recognition by FIFA and UEFA, the DFB carried on the tradition of Germany - there was never a separate "West Germany national football team", it was always identical with Germany national football team. Switzerland was once again the first [1] team that would play Germany in 1950, with Turkey and Republic of Ireland being the only non-German language opponents in friendly matches during 1951.

After only 18 post war games in total, Germany had qualified for the 1954 World Cup, having prevailed against Norway and the "third German state", the Saarland.

Saarland 1947-1956

The Saar (protectorate), otherwise known as Saarland, had been split off from Germany and put under French control between 1947 and 1956. They had separate teams in the 1952 Summer Olympics and also in the 1954 World Cup qualifiers, when Saarland national football team finished below Germany but above Norway in their qualification group, having won in Oslo. Legendary coach Helmut Schön was the manager of the Saarland team from 1952 until 1957, when it was merged with the Federal Republic of Germany.

East Germany 1949-1990

From 1949 to 1990, the socialist German Democratic Republic which was founded in the Soviet-occupied East Germany were represented by the separate DFV association and its East Germany national football team. East Germany were also the only team able to beat the (West) German team that won the 1974 World Cup, a highly symbolic event for both parts of the nation. They went on to win the gold medal in Football at the 1976 Summer Olympics. After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and German reunification in 1990, the New Länder joined the Federal Republic of Germany, and the clubs and players joined the DFB.

Das Wunder von Bern

Germany, captained by Fritz Walter, met in the 1954 World Cup some of the teams they had played in friendly matches, namely Turkey, Yugoslavia and Austria. When playing favorites Hungary in the group stage, coach Sepp Herberger did not field his best players, saving them from the experience of a 3-8 loss. They would meet Hungary again in the final, with their legendary team of Mighty Magyars, which had gone unbeaten for 32 consecutive matches, a record that still stands today. In a shocking upset, Germany 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" (Das Wunder von Bern). 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 only the quarter-finals in the 1962 World Cup, the DFB had to make changes. Professionalism was introduced following examples set abroad, and the best clubs from the different Regionalliga were assembled into the new Bundesliga. Helmut Schön took over as coach in 1964 .

In the 1966 World Cup, Germany reached the final after beating the USSR in the semifinal, facing hosts England at Wembley Stadium. Wolfgang Weber's last minute goal took the game into extra time, a goal claimed to be controversial by the English, 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. The first extra time goal by Geoff Hurst, nicknamed Wembley-Tor ("Wembley goal") in Germany, was controversial at the time. Later video evidence indicates that the ball never crossed the line after hitting the crossbar. As the Swiss referee did not see the situation properly, the opinion of the Soviet linesman who believed that the ball bounced back from the net rather than the crossbar led to one of the most contentious goals in the history of football. While the Germans pushed hard to tie the game, spectators entered the field in the final seconds, and Hurst scored another controversial goal giving England a 4-2 win.

Germany gained a measure of revenge in the 1970 World Cup by knocking England out in the quarter-finals 3-2, having been 2-0 down, before they suffered another memorable extra time loss, this time in the semi-final against 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. Memorably, Franz Beckenbauer remained on the field even with a dislocated shoulder, his arm in a sling strapped to his body, as Germany had used up their two allowed substitutions. Eventually won 4-3 by Italy, this match with five goals in extra time is one of the most dramatic in World Cup history, and is called "Game of the Century" in both Italy (Partita del secolo) and Germany (Jahrhundertspiel). While the exhausted Italians lost to Brazil, 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 Germany to great success as they became both the European and World Champions. They won the European Championship at their first attempt 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 the Olympiastadion.

Two matches in the 1974 World Cup stood out for Germany. The first group stage saw a politically charged match as Germany, representing the FRG, played the East Germany national football team representing the socialist GDR. Both teams already were qualified for advance to the next round, and the East Germans won 1-0. The (West) Germans adjusted their line up after the loss and advanced to the final which was the other outstanding match, against the Johan Cruijff-led Dutch team and their brand of "Total Football". Cruijff was brought down early in the German penalty area following a solo run before any of the German players had even touched the ball, and the Dutch took the lead from the ensuing penalty 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. A second goal by Müller was mistakenly ruled offside.

Late 1970s and early 1980s

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, with Uli Hoeneß famously kicking the ball sky high. Then in the 1978 World Cup, they were eliminated in the second group stage after losing 3-2 to Austria which was already eliminated at that time, but surprised the Germans with their zeal to beat them anyway. Schön retired as coach afterwards, and the post was taken over by his assistant Jupp Derwall.

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. 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 beaten 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 as coach to replace Derwall. In the 1986 World Cup, 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, Germany finally won their third World Cup title in the unprecedented third consecutive final appearance. At the time, German unification was not yet official, so no East German player was eligible for the DFB team yet. 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, 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.

Olympic football

During the period of the 1970s and 80s, West Germany achieved some success at the Olympic Games, most notably in the 1988 Olympics, when they won the bronze medal, while also reaching the Second Round in both 1972 and 1984.

Reunification

The process of reunification of Germany by five New Länder joining the 11 existing states of the Federal Republic of Germany had been in progress since late 1989. Political unification was formalised on 3 October 1990 while clubs and players had joined the DFB and its leagues already for the new season. However, due to FIFA rules, Germany played two more internationals in October 1990 without East German players against Sweden and Luxembourg. The first game for which players from East Germany, such as Matthias Sammer and Ulf Kirsten, were eligible was against Switzerland on 19 December.

After the World Cup win in 1990, assistant Berti Vogts took over from Beckenbauer as the national team coach. In Euro 92, Germany reached the final, but lost 2-0 to surprise winners Denmark. 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 as of a team that almost always reach the later rounds of major tournaments, was starting to be discouraged by disappointing results.

In Euro 2000, they went out in the first round after failing to win any of their three matches, including a 1-0 defeat to rivals England and an embarrassing 3-0 loss to a second-string Portugal side (the Portuguese having already advanced). 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. However, with the pivotal Michael Ballack suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, Germany's chances had declined. In a hard-fought match, Germany lost 2-0. German captain and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn won the Golden Ball, the first time in the World Cup's history a goalkeeper was named best player of the tournament. Simultaneously, he won the Yashin-Award as the best goalkeeper.

Germany failed to build on their success in 2002, and again exited in the first round of Euro 2004 without winning a match. As was the case in 2000, the Germans bowed out after losing to the second-string side of a team that had already advanced, in this case that of the Czech Republic. Völler resigned afterwards, denouncing the constant media criticism in a famous TV interview, and the national team had to find their third new coach in six years, after having had only six coaches in the previous 75 years. As 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. In similar style to Beckenbauer's former role as team manager without a coaching license, experienced Joachim Löw from Stuttgart would take care of the actual coaching responsibilities. Klinsmann's main task was to lead the national team to a good showing at the 2006 World Cup, which Germany were going to host.

2006 World Cup

Although the host nation, hopes prior to the start of the tournament proper were not as high for Germany in the 2006 World Cup as in previous tournaments, even in Germany itself. Critics had pointed out the apparent lack of quality players in the squad and coach Klinsmann's decision to live in America rather than Germany.

Germany, however, won the opening game of the World Cup against Costa Rica 4-2. They continued to develop both confidence and support across the group stage, conceding no further goals as they beat Poland 1-0 and Ecuador 3-0, with Miroslav Klose scoring twice and Lukas Podolski adding another in the last match. Germany finished on top of the group with three wins.

The team went on to easily defeat Sweden 2-0 in the round of 16, with Lukas Podolski netting both goals in only 12 minutes, from assists by Miroslav Klose.

Public viewing of the match Germany vs. Argentina at the Donau Arena in Regensburg

Germany faced favourites Argentina in the quarter-finals, a team that Germany had not defeated since the 1990 World Cup. Germany's shutout streak was broken shortly after half time as Argentina scored first to grab a 1-0 lead. However, Michael Ballack's cross, flicked on by Tim Borowski, allowed Klose to head in the equalizer with 10 minutes to spare. During penalties, Jens Lehmann stopped two spot kicks while his teammates made all of the necessary goals to win the decisive shootout 4 - 2. These results produced much expectation in Germany, many thinking that a record eighth appearance at the final was possible.

The team then lost 0-2 to Italy in the semi-finals, conceding two goals in the dying ninety seconds of the extra time.

Despite having their dreams of playing in the final dashed, Klinsmann's squad quickly recovered their composure, and journalists noted the team's upbeat mood in the practices after the semi-final. Three starters, including captain Michael Ballack, would not be available for the third place match. They faced a full strength Portuguese team, with goalkeeper Ricardo having only conceded one goal in regular play. Nonetheless, Germany thoroughly routed Portugal 3-1, at one point being up three goals to nil from Bastian Schweinsteiger's two goals and an own goal, also off his shot, by Portugal's Petit.

Germany managed to end the World Cup on a high, not only with a 3-1 win over Portugal in the battle for third place, but also with several awards: Miroslav Klose was awarded the Golden Boot for his tournament-leading five goals, and fellow striker Lukas Podolski won the 'Best Young Player' award. Furthermore, four of Germany's players (Jens Lehmann, Philipp Lahm, Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose) were selected for the 'Mastercard All-Star Team'. In addition, at 14 goals scored, the German side put away more goals than any other team. At the end of their tournament, more than 500,000 people celebrated the team's return by giving them a heroes welcome at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. All in all, Germany had a much better World Cup than many - at home and abroad - ever believed possible.

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

Germany's entry into the Euro 2008 qualifying round was marked, not least, by the arrival of new coach Joachim Löw. For the preliminary round, (which runs from 2 September 2006 - 21 November 2007) Germany were placed into Group D, along with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Ireland, San Marino, Slovakia and Wales. Thus far, Germany has performed well, though not against very high-ranking opponents.

Their first match, played 2 September, 2006, was against the Republic of Ireland (Elo rank: 20), and was won by Germany 1-0. A set piece from Lukas Podolski was diverted into the net by Robbie Keane, and gave Löw and the German team an opening victory to the tournament.

The second, played 6 September, 2006 resulted in an historic defeat for opponents San Marino: 13-0, their worst ever recorded loss and German best ever victory on away game (the previous record, a 9-1 success against Luxembourg, dated back to 1934), and their best post-reunification victory. Again, Lukas Podolski was the star, with four goals, but contributions were received from Michael Ballack (one goal), Manuel Friedrich (one goal), Miroslav Klose (two goals) Thomas Hitzlsperger (two goals), Bernd Schneider (one goal, a penalty), and Bastian Schweinsteiger (two goals).[2] San Marino were, as the scoreline suggests, overwhelmed by their opponents: this is not surprising, given that Germany's Elo ranking is 186 places above theirs.

Germany's third game against Slovakia continued Löw's unbeaten run - though not his clean sheet. It was played on the 11 October 2006, and resulted in another victory, with the Germans finishing up 4-1. Lukas Podolski was impressive again, scoring twice, with a further goal each to Michael Ballack and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Stanislav Varga scored the home team's single goal.

The team's final qualifier of 2006 was played against Cyprus on the 15th November, and brought a halt to their winning record. While Michael Ballack scored an early goal (his 35th for Germany), Cyprus struck back just before half-time with a goal by Ioannis Okkas, creating a scoreline which remained static until the final whistle.

On March 24, 2007, Germany consolidated top group standings as they beat the Czech Republic 2-1, after two headed goals by Kevin Kuranyi. Milan Baros snatched a late goal, but the Germans held on for the decisive group leading win. On June 2, Germany beat San Marino again, 6-0, after a flurry of goals in the second half. Kevin Kuranyi would only put the hosts 1-0 up at half-time. Four days later, Germany beat Slovakia 2-1, after a Thomas Hitzlsperger header separated the two sides who each canceled out own goals. On September 8, Germany remained five points clear of the Czechs by beating Wales 2-0, despite not having a handful of their regular first team players like Michael Ballack, Torsten Frings, Bernd Schneider and Philipp Lahm. Miroslav Klose marked his 70th cap with two pinpoint goals to take his tally to 35 international goals.

Forthcoming fixtures

Date City Opponent Type of game
October 13, 2007 Dublin  Republic of Ireland Euro 2008 qualifying
October 17, 2007 Munich  Czech Republic Euro 2008 qualifying
November 17, 2007 Hannover  Cyprus Euro 2008 qualifying
November 21, 2007 Frankfurt am Main  Wales Euro 2008 qualifying
February 6, 2008 Wien  Austria Friendly match
March 26, 2008 Leipzig   Switzerland Friendly match

Recent results

Date Type of game City Opponent/Score Scorers
September 12, 2007 Friendly match Cologne  Germany 3-1  Romania Schneider 42', Odonkor 66', Podolski 82' - Goian 3'
September 8, 2007 Euro 2008 qualifying Cardiff  Wales 0-2  Germany Klose 5', 60'
August 22, 2007 Friendly match London  England 1-2  Germany Lampard 9' - Kurányi 26', Pander 40'
June 6, 2007 Euro 2008 qualifying Hamburg  Germany 2-1  Slovakia Ďurica 10' (o. g.), Hitzlsperger 43' - Metzelder 20' (o. g.)
June 2, 2007 Euro 2008 qualifying Nuremberg  Germany 6-0  San Marino Kurányi 45', Jansen 52', Frings 56' (pen.), Gomez 63', 65', Fritz 67'
March 28, 2007 Friendly match Duisburg  Germany 0-1  Denmark Bendtner 81'
March 24, 2007 Euro 2008 qualifying Prague  Czech Republic 1-2  Germany Baroš 77' - Kurányi 42', 62'
February 2, 2007 Friendly match Düsseldorf  Germany 3-1   Switzerland Kurányi 7', Gomez 30', Frings 66' - Streller 71'

Competition records

Germany has won the World Cup three times, behind only Brazil (five titles) and Italy (four titles). It has finished as runners-up four times, two more than any other side. In terms of semifinal appearances, Germany leads with 11, one more than Brazil's 10, which had participated in two more tournaments (all 18, in fact). In the last 14 World Cup tournaments, Germany has always reached at least the stage of the last eight teams. Germany has also qualified for every of the 16 World Cups it has entered — it did not enter the inaugural competition in Uruguay of 1930 for economic reasons, and could not qualify for or compete in the post-war 1950 World Cup as the DFB was re-instated as a FIFA member only two months after this tournament.

Germany has also won the European Championship three times (France is the only other multiple-time winners with two titles), and finished as runners-up twice. The Germans have qualified for every European Championship tournament except for the very first EC they entered in 1968. For that tournament, Germany was in the only group of three teams and thus only played four qualifying games. The deciding game was a scoreless draw in Albania which gave Yugoslavia the edge, having won in their neighbor country.

Germany played in the FIFA Confederations Cup twice, in 1999 (first round exit) and in 2005 (third place) as hosts.

See also East Germany and Saarland for the results of these separate German teams, and Austria for the team that was merged into the German team from 1938 to 1945.

Competitive record

Players

Current squad

Squad called up for the friendly against Romania on September 12 2007.

Caps and goals as of September 12, 2007.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Jens Lehmann (1969-11-10) November 10, 1969 (age 54) 48 0 England Arsenal F.C.
12 1GK Timo Hildebrand (1979-04-05) April 5, 1979 (age 45) 6 0 Spain Valencia CF
23 1GK Robert Enke (1977-08-24) August 24, 1977 (age 46) 1 0 Germany Hannover 96
2 2DF Marcell Jansen (1985-11-04) November 4, 1985 (age 38) 18 1 Germany Bayern Munich
3 2DF Arne Friedrich (1979-05-29) May 29, 1979 (age 45) 52 0 Germany Hertha BSC Berlin
6 2DF Christian Pander (1983-08-28) August 28, 1983 (age 40) 2 1 Germany FC Schalke 04
17 2DF Per Mertesacker (1984-09-29) September 29, 1984 (age 39) 35 1 Germany Werder Bremen
21 2DF Christoph Metzelder (1980-11-05) November 5, 1980 (age 43) 35 0 Spain Real Madrid
24 2DF Manuel Friedrich (1979-09-13) September 13, 1979 (age 44) 8 1 Germany Bayer Leverkusen
7 3MF Bastian Schweinsteiger (1984-08-01) August 1, 1984 (age 39) 45 13 Germany Bayern Munich
15 3MF Thomas Hitzlsperger (1982-04-05) April 5, 1982 (age 42) 28 3 Germany VfB Stuttgart
19 3MF Bernd Schneider vice-captain (1973-11-17) November 17, 1973 (age 50) 80 4 Germany Bayer Leverkusen
22 3MF David Odonkor (1984-02-21) February 21, 1984 (age 40) 12 1 Spain Real Betis
28 3MF Piotr Trochowski (1984-03-22) March 22, 1984 (age 40) 7 0 Germany Hamburger SV
34 3MF Roberto Hilbert (1984-10-16) October 16, 1984 (age 39) 5 0 Germany VfB Stuttgart
35 3MF Gonzalo Castro (1987-06-11) June 11, 1987 (age 36) 3 0 Germany Bayer Leverkusen
38 3MF Simon Rolfes (1982-01-21) January 21, 1982 (age 42) 4 0 Germany Bayer Leverkusen
11 4FW Miroslav Klose (1978-06-09) June 9, 1978 (age 45) 70 35 Germany Bayern Munich
20 4FW Lukas Podolski (1985-06-04) June 4, 1985 (age 38) 40 23 Germany Bayern Munich
31 4FW Kevin Kurányi (1982-03-02) March 2, 1982 (age 42) 42 19 Germany FC Schalke 04
37 4FW Patrick Helmes (1984-03-01) March 1, 1984 (age 40) 4 0 Germany 1. FC Köln

Recent call-up

The following players have been called up to the German squad since the 2006 World Cup and are still available for selection.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
-- 1GK Manuel Neuer (1986-03-27) March 27, 1986 (age 38) 0 0 Germany FC Schalke 04
4 2DF Robert Huth (1984-08-18) August 18, 1984 (age 39) 17 2 England Middlesbrough FC
16 2DF Philipp Lahm (1983-11-11) November 11, 1983 (age 40) 35 2 Germany Bayern Munich
25 2DF Malik Fathi (1983-10-29) October 29, 1983 (age 40) 2 0 Germany Hertha BSC Berlin
26 2DF Alexander Madlung (1982-07-11) July 11, 1982 (age 41) 2 0 Germany Wolfsburg
27 2DF Clemens Fritz (1980-12-07) December 7, 1980 (age 43) 7 1 Germany Werder Bremen
36 2DF Christian Schulz (1983-04-01) April 1, 1983 (age 41) 3 0 Germany Hannover 96
40 2DF Serdar Taşçı (1987-04-24) April 24, 1987 (age 37) 0 0 Germany VfB Stuttgart
5 3MF Sebastian Kehl (1980-02-13) February 13, 1980 (age 44) 31 3 Germany Borussia Dortmund
8 3MF Torsten Frings (1976-11-22) November 22, 1976 (age 47) 67 10 Germany Werder Bremen
13 3MF Michael Ballack captain (1976-09-26) September 26, 1976 (age 47) 77 35 England Chelsea F.C.
18 3MF Tim Borowski (1980-05-02) May 2, 1980 (age 44) 29 2 Germany Werder Bremen
30 3MF Paul Freier (1979-07-26) July 26, 1979 (age 44) 19 1 Germany Bayer Leverkusen
39 3MF Sami Khedira (1987-04-04) April 4, 1987 (age 37) 0 0 Germany VfB Stuttgart
9 4FW Mike Hanke (1983-11-05) November 5, 1983 (age 40) 11 1 Germany Hannover 96
10 4FW Oliver Neuville (1973-05-01) May 1, 1973 (age 51) 65 9 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach
14 4FW Gerald Asamoah (1978-10-03) October 3, 1978 (age 45) 43 6 Germany FC Schalke 04
29 4FW Jan Schlaudraff (1983-07-18) July 18, 1983 (age 40) 3 0 Germany Bayern Munich
32 4FW Mario Gomez (1985-07-10) July 10, 1985 (age 38) 3 3 Germany VfB Stuttgart
33 4FW Stefan Kießling (1984-01-25) January 25, 1984 (age 40) 1 0 Germany Bayer Leverkusen

Previous squads

Famous past players

   

Fritz Walter, Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer and Lothar Matthäus are "Honorary team captains" (Ehrenspielführer).

Most capped players

Below is a list of the 22 players with the most caps for Germany, as of September 12, 2007 (* denotes players still available for selection):

# 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
= Oliver Kahn 1995-2006 86
12 Andreas Möller 1988-1999 85
13 Karlheinz Förster 1978-1986 81
= Wolfgang Overath 1963-1974 81
14 Bernd Schneider* 1999-present 80
15 Michael Ballack* 1999-present 77
16 Guido Buchwald 1984-1994 76
= Harald Schumacher 1979-1986 76
19 Pierre Littbarski 1981-1990 73
20 Hans-Peter Briegel 1979-1986 72
= Uwe Seeler 1954-1970 72
= Christian Ziege 1993-2004 72

Top goalscorers

Main article: List of leading goalscorers for the German national football team

Below is a list of the top 10 goalscorers for Germany, as of September 8, 2007 (* denotes players still available for selection):

# Player Goals
1 Gerd Müller 68
2 Jürgen Klinsmann 47
3 Rudi Völler 47
4 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 45
5 Uwe Seeler 43
6 Oliver Bierhoff 37
7 Michael Ballack* 35
= Miroslav Klose* 35
9 Fritz Walter 33
10 Klaus Fischer 32

Tournament records

Coaches

Name Period Matches Wins Draws Losses Honours
DFB committee 1908-1927 63 18 13 32
Otto Nerz 1928-1936 70 42 10 18 Third place at the 1934 World Cup
Sepp Herberger1 1936-1964 162 92 26 44 Winner of the 1954 World Cup, Fourth place at the 1958 World Cup
Helmut Schön 1964-1978 139 87 30 22 Runner-up of the 1966 World Cup, Third place at the 1970 World Cup, Winner of Euro 72, Winner of the 1974 World Cup, Runner-up of Euro 76
Jupp Derwall 1978-1984 67 45 11 11 Winner of Euro 80, Runner-up of the 1982 World Cup
Franz Beckenbauer 1984-1990 66 36 17 13 Runner-up of the 1986 World Cup, Winner of the 1990 World Cup
Berti Vogts 1990-1998 102 67 23 12 Runner-up of Euro 92, Winner of Euro 96
Erich Ribbeck 1998-2000 24 10 6 8
Rudi Völler 2000-2004 53 29 11 13 Runner-up of the 2002 World Cup
Jürgen Klinsmann 2004-2006 34 20 8 6 Third place at the 2006 World Cup
Joachim Löw2 2006- 14 12 1 1
Total2 794 454 162 178
Notes
  1. 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).
  2. Record as of September 12, 2007.

Trivia

The 2006 World Cup saw an unprecedented widespread public display of the national flag in the Federal Republic of Germany.
  • Germany is the only nation to have won both the men's and women's World Cups.
  • Germany does not have a national stadium, and rotate their home matches among various stadiums across the country.
  • adidas AG is the longstanding kit provider to the national team, a sponsorship that began in 1954 and is contracted to continue until at least 2018. Nike, Inc. had been courting the team, and in August 2007 reportedly offered as much as €500 million to outfit the team for an eight-year period - a figure that is six times what adidas currently pays - but the federation decided to remain with Germany-based adidas.[3]
  • The national team's home dress has always been a white jersey and black shorts, while the away jersey colour has changed several times. Historically, green shirt with white shorts is the most often used alternative colour combination, derived from the DFB colours (and the ones of a playing field). Other colours such as grey and black have also been used. The last change, from black to red, came in November 2004 on the request of Klinsmann, citing that teams in red are statistically more successful, and perceived as more intimidating. He hoped to use the red away shirt as first choice for the 2006 World Cup despite less than impressive results when playing in these colours (for example, the 1-4 loss in Italy), but eventually Germany played in its traditional colors.
  • The green away jersey comes from the fact that the DFB's (Deutscher Fußball-Bund) official color is green yet a very common myth associated with Germany's use of a green-coloured away jersey is in recognition of the fact that Ireland were supposedly the first nation to play Germany in a friendly game after World War II. This is false. Their first match after WWII was in fact against the Swiss. [2]
  • Since their penalty shootout loss to Czechoslovakia in Euro 76, Germany has not lost a penalty shootout in major international tournaments. In fact, the last penalty missed by a German player dates back to the semi-finals of the 1982 world cup when French goalkeeper Jean-Luc Ettori saved Uli Stielike's shot. 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." In reality, Germany or German teams are among the teams with the most final losses (sometimes also very unlucky), for example in the FIFA World Cup or in the UEFA Champions League, yet they had to win first to get there.
  • German teams have something of a tradition of beginning their history against Switzerland: The first match ever of the German national team, the first match after World War I in 1920, the first match after World War II in 1950 when Germany was still banned from most international competitions, and the first match in 1990 with former East German players were all against Switzerland. Germany's first championship title was even won in Switzerland. Most of the home games (7 since 1911) were at Stuttgart's Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion. Klaus Fischer also scored Germany's "ARD Goal of the Century" there against the Swiss in 1977, with a "Bicycle kick" ("Fallrückzieher"), his trademark move (with which he also scored the important 3:3 equalizer in overtime (108th minute) at the 1982 FIFA World Cup vs France, a goal that was not chosen for the Top 10 of the WC Goal of the Century)
  • Germany can boast of having the first and only goalkeeper to win the Player of the Tournament award following a World Cup, that being Oliver Kahn in 2002. Harald "Toni" Schumacher was runner-up for the award in 1986.
  • Toni Schumacher, along with Sergio Goycochea, holds the record for the most World Cup penalty shootout saves, with four. He saved two against France in 1982 and another two against Mexico in 1986.
  • German first-choice goalkeepers have all been a part of the national team's string of successes; Harald Schumacher won Euro 1980 and reached the finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cup. Bodo Illgner helped to win the 1990 World Cup, Andreas Köpke won Euro 1996, Oliver Kahn reached the 2002 World Cup finals, and Jens Lehmann reached the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup.
  • Germany also has one of the world's most productive goal scorers in Gerd Müller, who racked up fourteen goals in just two World Cups. His ten goals in 1970 are the third most in a tournament, just behind France's Just Fontaine and Hungarian Sándor Kocsis. Though Müller's all time Finals score was broken by Ronaldo in 2006, it took the latter three tournaments to do so (1998, 2002, 2006). France's Just Fontaine is in third place all-time, with thirteen goals scored at the 1958 World Cup.
  • During the period of the 1970s and 80s, non-professional teams representing Germany also achieved small success at the Olympic Games, most notably in the 1988 Olympics, when they won the bronze medal, while also reaching the Second Round in both 1972 and 1984. In the 1972 Olympics, Germany played against East Germany in the second group stage, losing 3-2.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.rsssf.com/tablesd/duit-intres.html
  2. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/5322128.stm
  3. ^ "German FA turns down Nike offer, sticks with Adidas" guardian.co.uk. 24 August 2007

External links

Titles

Preceded by World Champions
1954 (First title) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by World Champions
1974 (Second title) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by World Champions
1990 (Third title) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by European Champions
1972 (First title) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by European Champions
1980 (Second title) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by European Champions
1996 (Third title) 		Succeeded by

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Template:FWC Winners Template:Fb end

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