It all began on a chilly and damp evening in Leverkusen, on 24th March 2001. Up against Albania in a crucial World Cup qualifier, the Nationalmannschaft had taken the lead five minutes into the second half after a stunning strike
Just days after lifting the World Cup trophy in Rio de Janeiro, Germany’s much-respected Spielführer Philipp Lahm created a stir in the footballing world by announcing his retirement from the Nationalmannschaft. For many German fans who had expected him to
Over the past month and a bit it has been a busy time. Over forty articles and reports covering the buildup, the tournament, the reviews and the tributes – with more to come as I round off what has been
The victorious German team are back home or on holiday, the World Cup trophy is safely in the locker for another four years, and it’s now time for what will be one of most memorable tournament post-mortems. The recent retirement
OK, this is the final World Cup video blog, but there will be one more very short piece to come… I’ll leave you all to find out why. So, after just over a month of fantastic football in Brazil, the
When the World Cup began more than a month ago, the thought of Germany being in the final would be little more than a dream. Placed in the toughest half of the draw with a possible quarter-final against France and
After the 7-1 demolition of a sorry Brazilian side, the onus is now on Germany to finish the job and bring the trophy back home – and secure that coveted fourth star. Wir für Vier has been one of the
Welcome to what will be the penultimate World Cup video blog, and what a tournament it has been! First we would see a hard-fought quarter-final win over France where Nationaltrainer Jogi Löw would revert back to the familiar and tried
Get past the “Group of Death”. Overcome one of the many “lesser” teams that have punched above their weight. Check. Knuckle down and put a threatening European rival out of commission. Check. It has not been an easy ride, but
We all can keep commenting, analysing and criticising, but they always come good in the end. The World Cup is like a magical elixir for the German national team, and after all of the pre-match discussion and debate Jogi and
Welcome to the latest World Cup vlog, covering everything from the final group match against the United States to a preview of the quarter-final against France. The Algeria game and team tactics are discussed at length, as I try my
After being stretched to the limit in disposing of Algeria in the round of sixteen, the German roadshow moves onto Rio’s famous Estádio Maracanã, and a potentially mouth-watering meeting with another old rival, France. Since their opening 4-0 thrashing of