Germany to be Weltmeister again?

Germany certainly has an illustrious history of being one of the finest football teams that had graced the world. The Germans finished third at the very first World Cup that they had participated in 1934. At the next World Cup in 1938, the Germans were unfortunately knocked out of the first round. With the outbreak of World War II and the subsequent ban from the first post-war World Cup competition in 1950, Germany did not make a comeback until 1954.

The end of World War II and the events of the Cold War had split Germany into two separate countries, West Germany and East Germany. This meant that there would also be two different German national teams. It was obvious that the West tasted much more success that its Eastern counterpart since the East German team had only managed to qualify for one World Cup competition and no other major competitions.

The Germans made an impacting return to the World Cup in 1954 and tasted their first major success by becoming the champions. Their triumph in 1954 was also called "The Miracle of Bern" with them overcoming an early two-goal deficit to win 3-2 in the final against favourites Hungary. The Germans also succeeded in reaching the final in 1966 but they lost 2-4 to hosts England in a match that saw Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick against them. In 1970, the Germans secured a third-place finish.

The 1974 World Cup was hosted at West German soil and interestingly saw both East and West German teams being drawn into the same group at the first round. Their encounter became a politically charged match, another area in which both Germanys challenge for superiority in the sporting arena. The East Germans pulled off a major upset against the West by winning 1-0 but fell in the second round. The West Germans had their ego bruised severely after the loss but nevertheless succeeded in reaching the final to challenge a highly spirited Netherlands team led by Johan Cruyff. The Netherlands were 1-0 up within 90 seconds through a penalty kick goal before any of the Germans had even a chance to touch the ball. Germany equalized later with another penalty kick goal and the winning goal was scored Gerd Mueller just before half time. The Dutch were unable to make a comeback in the second half and with that, captain Franz Beckenbauer lifted Germany's second World Cup title.

Germany's World Cup campaign in 1978 was cut short as they were eliminated in the second round by Austria. Germany finished two subsequent World Cup competitions with a runner-up spot. The moment of glory came to Germany's way in 1990 as they were champions for the third time. For Franz Beckenbauer, it was the second World Cup triumph for him, this time, as a coach. He became one of the only two men (the other one is Mario Zagallo) in the world to have won the World Cup both as a player and a coach.

Into the 21^st Century, Germany's position as one of the dominating national teams in the world is being severely threatened with poor results. Germany went out of Euro 2000 without winning any of their matches in the first round. At one of the World Cup qualifier match in Munich against England at 2001, the Germans were thrashed 1-5. Despite poor performances at the qualifiers, the Germans still booked a place in the final to face off against favourites Brazil in the 2002 World Cup. Germany finished as runners up again as Brazil won 2-0. In Euro 2004, it was another horrific campaign for Germany as they exited in the first round without a win. With the World Cup back on German soil in 2006, I'm sure Germany hopes to achieve another World Cup success with the home fans backing them.

Throughout the years, many German players had dazzled the crowd. Notable figures from the past were names like Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Mueller. Franz Beckanbauer is known also to the fans as "Der Kaiser" (the Emperor) for his elegant style, leadership and domination in the football pitch. Gerd Mueller was one of the most successful strikers that had played during his time with 68 goals in 62 international appearances and 365 goals in 427 League games with Bayern Munich. His acclaimed scoring feat has definitely earned him the nickname, "Der Bomber".

In the 1990s, Lothar Matthaeus, Rudi Voeller and Juergen Klinsmann were the renowned names in the world. The current German squad also contained stars like Michael Ballack and Oliver Kahn. Captain Michael Ballack is well known as a versatile and well-conditioned player in both attacking and defensive midfield roles. There has also been new young blood being injected into the German squad which includes promising striker Lukas Podolski, defender Philip Lahm and upcoming midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger. Schweinsteiger himself had impressed and earned rave reviews in Euro 2004 for his strong combative midfield skills.

The Germans has a huge advantage with them hosting the 2006 World Cup. Often referred to as the 12^th man, the home crowd plays an important role in motivating a team to great heights. Previous World Cup Champions record have shown it clearly, starting from the very first World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930, with the Uruguayans becoming the champions themselves. Other host nations that became champions include Italy (1934), England (1966), Argentina (1978) and France (1998). Germany was champions at her own soil in 1974. The home crowd does not only provide inspiration for champions-to-be, it also spurred underdogs to immense success. One strong example would be South Korea, a team that never goes past Round 1 in all World Cups suddenly launched themselves to the semi-finals in the 2002 World Cup which was held at Korea itself. Thus, it remains to be seen if Germany would fully utilize this advantage in the 2006 World Cup.

Overall, Germany has strong prospects in achieving success at the 2006 World Cup. Being a fan of the German team, I will certainly look forward to watch them in action, especially at the opening match, Germany vs Costa Rica in 9 June. With the backing of the German crowd and a balanced talented squad, Germany looks set in their attempt to become the Weltmeister (World Champions) for the fourth time.

By: Stanley Lee