German Soccer Team

/Home//HISTORY and RULES of SOCCER/History of International Soccer/German Soccer

General Information- German Team
Country - Germany
Capital City - Berlin
Continent - Europe
Manager - Jürgen Klinsmann
Captain - Michael Ballack

German Soccer Team History
Founded 1900
Affiliated 1904

WC participations 15 (1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
WC honours Three times world champions (1954, 1974, 1990)
Continental Titles Three times European champions (1972, 1980, 1996)
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)
European Championships Appearances: 9 (First in 1972)
Best result Winners, 1972, 1980, 1996

World Cup Record:
Year Host Performance
1930 Uruguay -
1934 Italy Third place
1938 France First Round (last 16)
1950 Brazil -
1954 Switzerland Winners
1958 Sweden Fourth place
1962 Chile Quarter finals
1966 England Runners up
1970 Mexico Third place
1974 West Germany Winners
1978 Argentina Second Group phase
1982 Spain Runners up
1986 Mexico Runners up
1990 Italy Winners
1994 U.S.A. Quarter finals
1998 France Quarter finals
2002 S.Korea/Japan Runners up
2006 Germany Third place

GERMAN Football Team for 2006 FIFA World Cup

Coach:
Jurgen Klinsmann

Goalkeepers:
Jens Lehmann, Oliver Kahn, Timo Hildebrand.

Defenders:
Marcell Jansen, Arne Friedrich, Robert Huth, Jens Nowotny, Philip Lahm, Per Mertesacker, Christoph Metzelder.

Midfielders:
Sebastian Kehl, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Torsten Frings, Michael Ballack, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Tim Borowski, Bernd Schneider, David Odonkor.

Forwards:
Mike Hanke, Oliver Neuville, Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski.

Jersey No. Name of the Player
1 Jens Lehmann
2 Marcell Jansen
3 Arne Friedrich
4 Robert Huth
5 Sebastian Kehl
6 Jens Nowotny
7 Bastian Schweinsteiger
8 Torsten Frings
9 Mike Hanke
10 Oliver Neuville
11 Miroslav Klose
12 Oliver Kahn
13 Michael Ballack
14 Gerald Asamoah
15 Thomas Hitzlsperger
16 Philip Lahm
17 Per Mertesacker
18 Tim Borowski
19 Bernd Schneider
20 Lukas Podolski
21 Christoph Metzelder
22 David Odonkor
23 Timo Hildebrand

GERMANY (GER) Germany played in Group A along with Costa Rica, Poland and Ecuador. Germany has been ranked at number 19 by FIFA. The German Team is undoubtedly one of the greatest football nations of the world. Germans can boast of an outstanding record of success. They have three world titles in their kitty. They are one of the greatest football nations of the world. Except for the inaugural 1930 World Cup and the 1950 tournament, a German team has played in every FIFA World Cup finals.

The then West Germany won the World Cup for the first time in 1954 when they defeated Hungary 3-2 in the final in the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Switzerland. Players Fritz Walter, Helmut Rahn became idols for German soccer fans. In 1974 again they won the cup on home grounds. 'Kaiser' Beckenbauer captained the side to a 2-1victory over Netherlands.

West Germany suffered successive defeats in the finals of Spain 1982 (they lost 3-1 to Italy) and in Mexico 1986 (they lost 3-2 to Argentina). Soon the third World Cup triumph came for the German Team in Italy 1990. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals in South Korea/Japan, Germany bounced back with a remarkable performance but lost 2-0 to Brazil in the Finals and came Runners up.

The Germans put forth a dismal performance at EURO 2004 in Portugal. The hosts appear to be in poor shape this time. Germany lost to both Turkey and Italy in recent warm-up games. It had draws with Holland and France. It's been long since England defeated a "big" team. England defeated Germany at Wembley in 2002 World Cup.

Before World Cup 2002 in South Korea/Japan, German Team was in a poor shape. But the team surprised everyone by reaching the final against Brazil. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski put forth an impressive performance in the FIFA Confederations Cup 2005. Captain Michael Ballack, Jens Lehmann and Lukas Podolski were the players to watch out in the 2006 World Cup.

The Germans always had magical stuff in store not only for its supporters but also for football fans everywhere. World Cup 2006 FIFA season was no exception and Germany was the host this time. Taking benefit on playing in the home field, Germany could reach upto semi-finals, but was pipped by Italy in a memorable game. Germany finally ensured the third place beating Portugal in losers' final.