Blog: Germany hoping to keep up winning streak

England’s famous striker of the 1980’s Gary Lineker once said, 'Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.'

germany wc.png
It's a statement not backed up with fact but an indication of the success Germany has had in the World Cup.

Die Mannschaft (The Team) has won three World Cups and appeared in seven finals – an envious record only bettered by Brazil and Italy.

"It's part of our national pride and being so far away from home it brings everyone together and it creates a sense of unity and belonging and all of that," said German Australian Carmen Jurczyk.

As West Germany, the national team first became world champions in 1954, defeating tournament favourites Hungary in the final, in what came to be known as the ‘Miracle of Bern’.

In 1974 the West Germans were led by legendary sweeper Franz Beckenbauer and won the World Cup on home soil – defeating the Netherlands and their philosophy of ‘Total Football’ in the final.

But for the current generation the most memorable triumph came at Italia 90.

Only six months after the Berlin Wall fell, the Germans swept to victory in the 1990 World Cup.

“The whole nation came together and the Germans really felt, they felt united again and felt good about themselves, that hasn't really happened all that often,” said German Australian Wolfgang Mueller.

“It was like a fairy-tale, it was a beautiful tournament, just around the corner in Italy, with huge success for us and it was very important for an entire generation,” recalled A-League player of the year and ex-Germany U-21 international Thomas Broich.

But the Germans haven’t repeated the 1990 success since reunification, which led to a major overhaul of the country’s football thinking a decade ago.

“They identified the problem, founded academies and stuff like that, and had a different kind of coach and all that and modernized the whole game,” said Broich.

The Germans have been drawn alongside Portugal, Ghana and the United States in Group G and their fans are expecting a good showing.

“They call this golden generation and they've been hugely successful at club level and there's so many talents in the squad. I'd be rather surprised if they went on to win it but I think they can definitely make the semi-finals,” said Broich.

 

 


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3 min read

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By Vitor Sobral


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