10 Best German Performances at the World Cup

Germany is one of the most successful nations to play in the World Cup. They are third in most World Cup wins (three), and have the most top three finishes of any nation (10).

In Germany’s past are much political tension, turmoil, and unrest, which also spilled over into the soccer world. They were banned by FIFA after the Second World War until the 1954 World Cup and from then through 1990 was a split nation, with Germany’s statistics being carried over by West Germany.

Still, the nation persevered on the field. There are a number of legends and FIFA 100 players that represented the nation at the World Cup and the teams consistently compete for the sport’s biggest prize.

Even in years where the team isn’t considered as strong in the past, they still manage to be in a position to finish in the top four.

As the 2010 World Cup nears, the Germans will be participating in their 15th straight World Cup, the most of any European team.

Take a look at Germany’s soccer past with the ten best performances, either by a collective team or an individual.

List is in chronological order.

1954: World Cup Champions

The first World Cup won by the nation was arguably the most important. Not only was it the team’s first World Cup championship, always a special feat, but it also meant even more in the social and political aspect of the world.

The final, which saw Germany beat previously unbeaten Hungary, is called “The Miracle of Bern” because of how heavily favored Hungary was to win it all. Hungary had previously beaten West Germany in the group stage 8-3 but the Germans responded with a 3-2 victory to win their first World Cup title.

Also adding to the upset was that the German team was made up entirely of amateurs. They are the only team to be made of non-professionals and win the trophy.

After the Second World War, Germany was banned from international competition. Not until after the 1950 World Cup did FIFA reinstate West Germany (which kept the statistics of the German National Team).

The win established a new Germany, a nation that could succeed even despite its horrific recent events.

1954: Fritz Walter

Walter, a 19-year-old prodigy before the World War II, was named captain of the rebuilt squad that qualified for the 1954 tournament.

In the semi-finals, Walter scored two penalty kicks to push the West Germans into the final against Hungary, a team undefeated in its 32 previous matches.

Walter finished the tournament with three goals, but even more important, much like the symbolism of the team Walter was the embodiment of the grit, toughness, exceptional work rate, and ambition of the German spirit in rebuilding not only the national team, but the country as a whole.

Walter was the first German captain to ever hold the World Cup trophy and is widely considered one of the best players in the history of the game. He was voted the third best individual in the tournament and awarded the Bronze Ball.

He was also named to the All-Star team.



1974: World Cup Champions

Germany’s second World Cup title came on its own soil. The team obviously escaped the first round, but suffered an embarrassing defeat to East Germany during group play. The match up had a lot of political tension surrounding it. East Germany would win the battle, but West Germany would win the war, dominating their second grouping and reaching the finals.

In the championship game, the Germans squared off against the Netherlands who had dominated play with a “total football” approach, practically eliminating designated positions and having all field players step up at any position when the situation called for it.

The Germans gave up a penalty kick goal in the first minute, but they came from behind with goals in the 25th and 43rd minutes to capture their second championship.

1974: Franz Beckenbauer

One of Germany’s most legendary players, Beckenbauer captained the 1974 squad in West Germany and lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy, the newest version of the trophy.

Beckenbauer’s leadership and defense helped propel the team in its efforts of winning the championship, especially in the final against the Netherlands and star Johan Cruyff.

Beckenbauer became the first German to win the Silver Ball, the highest individual honor a German had received at that point in history, and was also selected to the All-Star team.



1982: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

The captain of the 1982 team competing in Spain shone throughout the entire tournament.

Rummenigge scored the first goal for the Germans in the tournament, a hat-trick against Chile in the second game of first round play, and a goal in extra-time and converted his penalty in a shootout against France in the semi-finals.

He earned the Silver Boot award and the Bronze Ball for his outstanding play and leadership.

1990: World Cup Champions

1990 was a year of revenge for Germany.

Argentina beat Germany in the finals 3-2 in 1986, forcing the Germans to settle for second place. Four years later, the two teams squared off again in the finals and Germany would get vengeance with a 1-0 victory.

The game saw two Argentines sent off with red cards, a first in the World Cup final.

Despite the 1990 World Cup featuring the lowest goals-per-game average, Germany scored the most in the group stage (10). The team had four players—Lothar Matthaus, Andreas Brehme, Jurgen Klinsmann, and Rudi Voller—score multiple goals in the tournament, the most from any one nation to do so in 1990.

1990: Lothar Matthaus

Matthaus captained the 1990 West German squad to victory and had many moments of brilliance himself.

Matthaus scored four goals, including two against Yugoslavia in the group stage matchup and the only goal off a penalty kick in the 1-0 quarterfinal victory over Czechoslovakia. He also converted in the penalty kick round against England to help put West Germany back in the finals.

The 1990 West German squad played aggressively offensively and Matthaus was the leader of that charge. He received the Bronze Boot award for his four goals, and was also awarded the Silver Ball. Matthaus was also named to the All-Star team.



2002: Oliver Kahn

Despite low expectations for Germany in South Korea/Japan, Kahn put the nation on his back and lifted the team into the tournament finals and a second-place finish.

Named the captain of the team, Kahn allowed only three goals the entire competition, two of which came in the final against Brazil, playing with torn ligaments in his right ring finger. He was the first German keeper to record five clean sheets in a single World Cup.

Kahn’s performance in net was so brilliant that he was awarded the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player. He is the only goalkeeper in the history of the World Cup to win the Golden Ball.

Kahn was also awarded the Lev Yashin Award for the best goalkeeper and was named to the All-Star team.

2006: Hosts, Third-Place

The stage once again was set on home soil. The Germans would not win it all, but they would give their fans a product to be extremely proud of.

The Germans stormed through group play going undefeated. They stumbled in the semi-finals, losing 2-0 to eventual champion Italy, but there isn’t much shame in losing to the best. They would bounce back and trounce Portugal 3-1, behind two goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger, for third place.

Goal scoring was at an all-time low pace for the tournament as a whole but the Germans played attractive and aggressive soccer for the fans. They scored the most goals in the tournament (14) and excited the nation when defender Philipp Lahm scored the opening goal of the World Cup in the first five minutes against Costa Rica.

The Germans were represented at every position on the all-star team by goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, Lahm, midfielder Michael Ballack, and forward Miroslav Klose. Klose was awarded the Golden Boot and Lukas Podolski was named the Best Young Player.

The 2006 World Cup saw strong patriotism and support from its German fans, some say the most flag-waving since World War II.



2006: Miroslav Klose

Klose followed up his 2002 Silver Shoe award (second-leading goal scorer in the 2002 World Cup) by winning the Golden Shoe in Germany in 2006. His five goals also landed him a second consecutive spot on the All-Star team.

Although his five goals were tied for the second-smallest total by a Golden Boot winner and lowest since 1962 when six players tied for the lead with four goals, Klose was still the best finisher. He helped Germany score the most goals in the tournament.

Klose is the first German since the reunification of the country to win the award and is the only player to score five or more goals in consecutive World Cups. His performance in 2006 also pushed him only six goals away from passing Ronaldo as the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.

In the team’s opening game, which also happened to be Klose’s 28th birthday, he scored two goals in Germany’s 4-2 win over Costa Rica.

Photo Credits.
Lothar Matthaus: AP Photo/Carlo Fumagal
Franz Beckenbauer: AP Photo/Heribert Proepper
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: AP Photo/Daniel Maurer
Oliver Kahn: AP Photo/Christof Stache
Miroslav Klose: AP Photo/Axel Heimken

Guess Who's Back

AP Photo/Paul Thomas

Since the horrible accident in October that left Charlie Davies with a lacerated bladder and fractures in his tibia and fibia in his right leg, his left elbow, and facial fractures, United States soccer fans have been asking one question: Who will replace him in the lineup going into the World Cup?

Well a new candidate has emerged and his name is: Charlie Davies.

“That's what's been driving me this whole time,” Davies told ESPN.com’s Ives Galarcep. “I've been looking at Web sites the whole time and they're always saying, 'We need to find a replacement for Charlie. We need to find someone because he's not going to be back.'

“These people don't know," Davies said. "They don't know me, and if they just knew me alone, let alone the determination and will I have now, you guys don't know.”

The Boston College alumnus had become the U.S.’s top option at forward, his speed creating chaos for opposing defenders and opening up space for midfielders Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.

However after his car accident a day after he helped the Americans qualify for their sixth straight World Cup appearance many wondered if Davies would be able to play ever again, let alone make it back in time for the June spectacle.

But here we are, still more than four months away from the biggest tournament in the world and Davies has been rehabbing at breakneck speed.

Galarcep reports that Davies is jogging and doing agility drills, has gained back 15 pounds that he lost after the accident, has one surgery left, and after a week of recovery will potentially begin training with his club team, FC Sochaux, by the end of February.

Davies has also been rehabbing alongside injured AC Milan and starting U.S. national team defender Oguchi Onyewu and the two have pushed each other and have made incredible progress, as well as keeping each other mentally strong.

The recent timetable shows Davies returning to the pitch in April.

Now, he still has a long way to go. There is the final surgery, and there is always the possibility that setback could occur, much like they have to new U.S. addition midfielder Jermaine Jones, whose stock continue to plummets.

Davies also needs to get in game shape and be prepared for full-contact that the sport offers.

Still, Davies’ determination has gotten him this far ahead in his recovery schedule and it should propel him to finish it out on time. This is fantastic news for the U.S. Soccer players and coaches as well as fans.

Davies gives the Americans an attacking weapon that the team sorely needs. He works his defenders into the ground with a combination of speed and tireless effort.
Davies up top allows Donovan and Dempsey to stay in midfield and leaves plenty of space for the two to be creative. Davies is also very close to fellow young striker Jozy Altidore and the chemistry the two have can only boost Altidore’s confidence. Davies’ talent also will mean opposing defense will not be able to double Altidore, making his job easier.

There’s still a lot of time until the World Cup and Davies’ recovery isn’t finished just yet but there is plenty of reason for the country to be optimistic heading into South Africa.

Greatest Moments in Foxboro Stadium History

AP Photo

Take a look back and relive the memories that came from Foxboro Stadium.

The Stadium first opened in August of 1971 and was named Schaefer Stadium. Naming rights were sold to Anheuser-Busch in 1983, who named the stadium Sullivan Stadium in honor of the family that owned the Patriots. Once the Sullivan family sold its majority ownership, the stadium was renamed Foxboro Stadium.

At the turn of the new millenium the stadium was deemed outdated. Gillete Stadium opened in 2002 and Foxboro was knocked down. Today the Patriots Place mall stands where the stadium used to be.

Opening of the stadium

The opening of any stadium is special. No matter how good or bad the team is or what the stadium looks like, having a brand new home is an exciting time. Much like a family moving into a new house, it is the place where—one hopes at least—great memories will be made for many years to come.

After four different “home” field in ten years—Boston University Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, and Boston College Alumni Stadium—the Patriots had a permanent place to call their own. What was nice about the stadium was that there was no public funding from the city of Foxborogh or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. That was also a problem. Without the public funding, the stadium was built quickly and without many major amenities of luxuries.

Before the first ever game played there, an exhibition match between the Patriots and New York Giants, a “flush-off” – all the toilets were flushed at the same time—was conducted to make sure the plumbing could handle the greatest possible stress.

Beginning of the Holy War

The stadium was also used for Boston College football games.

On September 15, 1975 Boston College hosted Notre Dame. This game started the rivalry between the “Eagles” and “Fighting Irish”. It was dubbed the “Holy War” by the media because it was the matchup of the only two Catholic Universities that compete in Division I-A football. Notre Dame won the first meeting between the two teams 17-3.

Although the schools wouldn’t square off again until 1983 and the rivalry matchup wouldn’t become an annual tradition until 1992, this game was the start of it all.

1978 AFC Divisional Playoffs vs. Houston Oilers

Finishing the season 11-5 and as AFC East Champions the Patriots were rewarded with a bye in the first round of the playoffs. They hosted the Divisional Playoffs against the Houston Oilers, the first ever home playoff game for the franchise.

Head Coach Chuck Fairbanks, who had been suspended the week before for negotiating with the University of Colorado, was reinstated. It might have been a bad move because his players had lost faith and respect for him.

There were no highlights for the Patriots, who lost 31-14, but the game is still a memorable moment because it was the first home playoff game the Patriots earned, certainly a milestone.

12/22/85: Must-win season finale against the Cininnati Bengals

The Patriots were still alive for a spot in the 1985 playoffs but were in a must-win game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

New England rushed the ball for 281 yards and clinched the game just after the two-minute warning when Robert Weathers broke through the line on fourth-and-one for a 42 yard touchdown. The Patriots won the game 11-5 and earned the final wild card spot over the Denver Broncos thanks to the common opponents tiebreaker.

New England would win their first three games in the playoffs before losing to the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl.

1994 World Cup

Hosting a World Cup is an honor for a country as well as for the select cities and stadiums that are chosen to receive games.

In 1994 the U.S. hosted the World Cup and six games were played at Foxboro Stadium. The game with the largest attendance was a 4-0 Argentina win over Greece in a Group D matchup. They hosted a quarter-final matchup between eventual runners-up Italy and Spain. Foxboro Stadium was a part of the most profitable World Cup in the tournament’s history.

Foxboro Stadium was lucky enough to also host five matches in the 1999 Women’s World Cup, including one U.S. group stage match against North Korea.

Concerts and Pink Floyd's final tour

Foxboro Stadium hosted many concerts for some of the world's most popular bands.

Paul McCartney, Elton John, hometown favorites Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, U2, and this year's Super Bowl halftime show band The Who have all played in the stadium.

Foxboro Stadium was also lucky enough to be one of the stops on Pink Floyd's Division Bell Tour, supporting the release of the album with the same name. The tour was the band's last as well as being the last time Pink Floyd performed live until they played at Live 8 in 2005.

1996 AFC Conference Championship vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

It was only the third playoff game the Patriots had ever hosted and first AFC Championship game the team hosted. A win would send New England to the Super Bowl. The opponent was the second-year Jacksonville Jaguars.

New England started their first possession on the four-yard line thanks to Jacksonville’s botched snap on a punt attempt. Curtis Martin scored a one-yard touchdown giving the Patriots the early lead. They would never give it up. The final score was 20-6 and the Patriots were off to face the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl.

Also memorable about the game was a power outage at the stadium just before halftime. Not only was power knocked out at Foxboro Stadium, but most of the surrounding community as well.

9/15/97: Bill Parcells return to Foxboro

Fresh after taking the Patriots to only their second Super Bowl in franchise history in 1996, Head Coach Bill Parcells left the team over disputes with owner Bob Kraft about player personnel decisions. He took the same job with rival New York Jets.

Parcells first return to Foxboro Stadium came in week three on Sunday Night Football. Already starting with a great headline, the game was full of drama.

The lead was tied or changed teams seven times throughout the course of the game. With 16 seconds left, the Jets had a chance to win the game but John Hall's field goal attempt was blocked and the game went to overtime, where Adam Vinatieri successfully kicked a 34-yard attempt to win the game and keep the Patriots undefeated for the time being.

Curtis Martin ran wild for 199 yards and a touchdown.

9/23/01: First game after September 11, 2001/Beginning of the Tom Brady era

It was an emotional time in this country's history.

Twelve days after the terrorist attacks on the United States the Patriots once again squared off against the rival Jets, located near the attacks on the World Trade Center occurred.

In the fourth quarter, Jets linebacker Mo Lewis tackled starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Blood filled Bledsoe's chest and he was hospitalized. Tom Brady finished the game and took over as starter.

While the Patriots lost that game 10-3, fans witnessed the beginning of a new era. Brady went on to win 11 of the 14 games he started that season and led the team to its first Super Bowl victory, and the first of three total.

"Tuck Rule" Game

The final game played in Foxboro Stadium may be its most memorable.

For starters, the 2001 season AFC Divisional Playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders was played in a driving snow storm.

The end of the game was drama at its best.

Trailing 13-10 with less than two minutes to plays the Patriots had the ball. Tom Brady dropped back to pass and seemingly fumbled the ball when hit by Charles Woodson, which the Raiders then recovered, which could have sealed the ball game.

However, the play was reviewed and the referee, Walt Coleman, ruled that Brady’s arm was moving forward and he was in the process of tucking the football back into his body—note that it had not yet been tucked—and therefore the play was an incomplete pass, not a fumble. The rule, as well as the game, is now nicknamed “the tuck rule/game”.

With New England given another chance, Brady drove the Pats into field goal territory and Adam Vinatieri, kicking into the wind and snow, booted a line-drive 45-yard field goal attempt through the uprights to tie the game and send it into overtime. Starting with the ball in overtime, the Patriots drove down the field and Vinatieri produced more magic, making a 23-yard field goal to win the game.