Germany national football team

This article is about the German men's national football team which was called between 1950 and 1990 the West Germany national football team. For the German women's national team, see Germany women's national football team. For the former national team of East Germany, see East Germany national football team.

Germany

Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)	Die Nationalelf ("The National Eleven")
Association	Deutscher Fußball-Bund — DFB
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Joachim Löw
Captain	Michael Ballack
Most caps	Lothar Matthäus (150)
Top scorer	Gerd Müller (68)
FIFA code	GER
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	5
Highest	1 (August 1993)
Lowest	22 (March 2006)
First international
Switzerland 5 - 3 Germany Template:Country data Germany old (Basel, Switzerland; 5 April, 1908)
Biggest win
Template:Country data Germany old Germany 16 - 0 Russia (Stockholm, Sweden; 1 July, 1912)
Biggest defeat
England 9 - 0 Germany Template:Country data Germany old (Oxford, England; 16 March, 1909)
World Cup
Appearances	16 (first in 1934)
Best result	Winners, 1954, 1974, 1990 (all as West Germany)
European Championship
Appearances	9 (first in 1972)
Best result	Winners, 1972, 1980 (as West Germany), 1996
Confederations Cup
Appearances	2 (first in 1999)
Best result	3rd, 2005

The German national football team (Die deutsche Nationalmannschaft) represents the German Football Association (DFB) in international football competitions since 1908.

After 1949, during the Cold War, the (East) German Democratic Republic fielded its own team (as the Saarland had to do until 1956, too), while the DFB team represented the (Western) Federal Republic of Germany and was generally known as West Germany. Since the former East German states joined West Germany in the German reunification of 1990, the team could nominate also players of the former East German team. Also since then the English speaking media called the DFB team simply Germany again.

Germany has been one of the most successful European national teams at international competitions, having won a total of three World Cups and three European championships; the East German team also won an Olympic title in 1976.

The current coaching staff of the national team include head coach Joachim Löw, assistant coach Hans-Dieter Flick, team manager Oliver Bierhoff and goalkeeper coach Andreas Köpke.

History

Early years

Between 1899 and 1901 there were five unofficial international matches between different German and English selection teams, which all ended as large defeats for the German teams. Eight years after the establishment of the German Football Association (DFB), the first official match of the Germany national football team was played on 5 April 1908, against Switzerland at Basel, with the Swiss winning 5-3. The players were selected by the DFB as there was no dedicated coach at that time.

The first coach of the Germany national team was Otto Nerz, a school teacher from Mannheim, from 1923 to 1936. Germany did not travel to Uruguay for the 1930 event, but finished third in the 1934 World Cup in their first ever World Cup appearance. Two years later, after a failure in 1936 Olympic Games held at home in Berlin, a new coach took over. Sepp Herberger formed a new team, which was named Breslau Elf in 1937, after a 8-0 win over Denmark in the town of Breslau, Lower Silesia (now Wroclaw, Poland).[1]

After Austria was made part of Germany in the Anschluss in March 1938, Austria withdrew its team from the upcoming World Cup for which it had qualified, and players from Rapid Wien were ordered to join the German team on short terms for political reasons. In the 1938 World Cup, the "united" German team managed only a 1-1 draw against Switzerland and then was knocked out after losing the rematch 2-4. Being eliminated in the first round of 1938 is Germany's worst result in a World Cup.

During World War II, the team played over 30 international games between September 1939 and November 1942, when playing was suspended as players had to become soldiers.

Three German Teams

After the Second World War, Germany was banned from competition in most sports until late 1950 or longer, with all three (or four when counting Austria) new German states being barred from entering the 1950 World Cup qualifiers.

The Saar (protectorate), otherwise known as Saarland, had been split off from Germany and put under French control between 1947 and 1956. They had separate teams in the 1952 Summer Olympics and also in the 1954 World Cup qualifiers, when Saarland national football team finished below West Germany but above Norway in their qualification group, having won in Oslo. Legendary coach Helmut Schön was the manager of the Saarland team from 1952 until 1957, when it was merged with Germany.

From 1949 to 1990, East Germany (German Democratic Republic) were represented by the separate national football team. The "other Germans" were also the only team able to beat the (West) German team that won the 1974 World Cup, a highly symbolic event for both parts of the nation. They went on to win the gold medal in Football at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

As in most aspects of life, the pre-war traditions and organisations of Germany were carried on by West Germany, and this applied also to the DFB which was based in Frankfurt/Main and still employed coach Sepp Herberger. Switzerland was once again the first [2] team that would play West Germany in 1950, with Turkey and Republic of Ireland being the only non-German language opponents in friendly matches during 1951. Yet, after 18 post war games, West Germany (considered to represent all of Germany by many) was qualified for the 1954 World Cup, having prevailed against Norway and the "third German state", the Saarland.

The Advent of West Germany

For more information, see West Germany national football team

Das Wunder von Bern

West Germany, captained by Fritz Walter, met in the 1954 World Cup some of the teams they had played in friendly matches, namely Turkey, Yugoslavia and Austria. When playing favorites Hungary, coach Sepp Herberger did not field his best players, saving them from the experience of a 3-8 loss. Meeting again in the final, the team led by Fritz Walter came back from an early two goal deficit to win 3-2, with Helmut Rahn scoring the winning goal with only six minutes remaining. The success is called "The Miracle of Bern" (Das Wunder von Bern). It created a sense of euphoria in postwar Germany and is credited with playing a large role in the country's economic recovery.

Memorable losses: "Wembley goal" and "Game of the Century"

After finishing fourth in the 1958 World Cup and reaching the quarter-finals in the 1962 World Cup, Helmut Schön took over as coach in 1964. In the 1966 World Cup, West Germany reached the final after beating the USSR in the semifinal, facing hosts England at Wembley Stadium. Wolfgang Weber's last minute goal took the game into extra time, a goal claimed to be controversial by the English, with the ball appearing to hit the hand of a German player as it travelled through the England penalty area before he prodded it in.

Geoff Hurst scored two controversial goals, giving England a 4-2 win. The first extra time goal by Hurst, nicknamed Wembley-Tor ("Wembley goal") in Germany, was controversial at the time, but photos, film and video footage show that the goal was given incorrectly by the Soviet linesman. Even a 1995 research by Oxford University using computer video analysis of the television footage concluded that the shot had not crossed the goal line. England forward Roger Hunt was adamant that the ball had crossed the line, and this remains one of the most contentious goals in the history of football. While the Germans pushed hard to tie the game, spectators entered the field in the final seconds, and Hurst scored again.

West Germany gained a measure of revenge in the 1970 World Cup by knocking England out in the quarter-finals 3-2, having been 2-0 down, before they suffered another memorable extra time loss, this time in the semi-final against Italy at Estadio Azteca. Karl-Heinz Schnellinger scored during injury time to level the match at 1-1, and during extra time, both teams held the lead at one time. Memorably, Franz Beckenbauer remained on the field even with a dislocated shoulder, his arm in a sling strapped to his body, as West Germany had used up their two allowed substitutions. Eventually won 4-3 by Italy, this match with five goals in extra time is one of the most dramatic in World Cup history, and is called "Game of the Century" in both Italy (Partita del secolo) and Germany (Jahrhundertspiel). West Germany went on to claim third place by beating Uruguay 1-0, and Gerd Müller finished as the tournament top scorer with 10 goals.

World Cup title on home soil

In 1971, Franz Beckenbauer became captain of the national side, and he led West Germany to great success as they became both the European and world champions. They won the European Championship at the first attempt in Euro 72, after beating the Soviet Union 3-0 in the final. Then as hosts of the 1974 World Cup, they won their second World Cup title, after beating the Netherlands 2-1 in the final at the Olympiastadion.

Two matches in the 1974 World Cup stood out for West Germany. The first group stage saw a politically charged match as the FRG and GDR played each other, with the GDR winning 1-0. The other match was the final against the Johan Cruijff-led Dutch team and their brand of "Total Football". Cruijff was brought down in the German penalty area following a solo run, and the Dutch took the lead from the ensuing penalty before any of the German players had even touched the ball and with just a minute gone on the clock. However, West Germany managed to come back, tying the match on a penalty scored by Paul Breitner, and winning it with Gerd Müller's goal just before half-time. A second goal by Müller was mistakenly ruled offside.

Late 1970s and early 1980s

West Germany failed to defend their titles in the next two major international tournaments. First they lost to Czechoslovakia in the final of Euro 76 in a penalty shootout by a score of 5-3, after the match finished 2-2. Then in the 1978 World Cup, they were eliminated in the second group stage after losing 3-2 to Austria. Schön retired as coach afterwards, and the post was taken over by his assistant Jupp Derwall.

West Germany's first tournament under Derwall was successful, as they won Euro 80 after beating Belgium 2-1 in the final, their second European title. West Germany then reached the final of the 1982 World Cup, but not without difficulties. They were upset 2-1 by Algeria in their first match, but managed to sneak into the second round with a controversial 1-0 win over Austria as the result advanced both teams at the expense of Algeria. Then in their semi-final against France, they came back from 3-1 down during extra time to tie the match 3-3, and won the following penalty shootout 5-4. In the final, they were comfortably beaten by Italy by a score of 3-1.

Beckenbauer's triumph as coach

After being eliminated in the first round of Euro 84, Franz Beckenbauer returned to the national team and replaced Derwall as coach. In the 1986 World Cup, West Germany finished as runners-up for the second consecutive time, after again beating France 2-0 in the semi-finals, but losing to the Diego Maradona-led Argentina 3-2 in the final. In Euro 88, West Germany's hopes of winning the tournament on home soil were spoiled by the Netherlands, as the Dutch gained revenge of their loss in 1974 by beating them 2-1 in the semi-final.

In the 1990 World Cup, West Germany finally won their third World Cup title after two consecutive second-place finishes. Captained by Lothar Matthäus, they were worthy champions as they defeated Yugoslavia (4-1), UAE (5-1), the Netherlands (2-1), Czechoslovakia (1-0), and England (1-1, 4-3 on penalty kicks) on the way to a final rematch against Argentina. In a dull match, West Germany won 1-0 with the only goal being a penalty scored in the 85th minute by Andreas Brehme. Beckenbauer, who won the title as captain in 1974, thus became the second person (after Mário Zagallo) to have won the World Cup as both a player and a coach, and the first as both a captain and a coach.

Reunification

The process of reunification of the two Germanies had been in progress since late 1989. Unification was formalised on 3 October 1990; however, West Germany offically played two more internationals without East German players against Sweden and Luxembourg in October 1990. The first game of the new team representing Germany was against Switzerland on 19 December. The players from East Germany, such as Matthias Sammer and Ulf Kirsten, now became eligible to represent the new unified team.

After the World Cup win in 1990, assistant Berti Vogts took over from Beckenbauer as the national team coach. In Euro 92, Germany reached the final, but lost 2-0 to surprise winners Denmark. As defending champions in the 1994 World Cup, they were upset 2-1 in the quarter-finals by Bulgaria after taking the lead.

Germany won their first major international title after the reunification at Euro 96, becoming European champions for the third time. They defeated England, who were the hosts, again on penalty kicks (6-5, after a 1-1 draw) in the semi-finals, and the Czech Republic 2-1 in the final, a match decided by a golden goal scored by Oliver Bierhoff. However, in the 1998 World Cup, Germany were again eliminated by a less heralded opponent in the quarter-finals, this time in a 3-0 rout by Croatia. Vogts stepped down afterwards and was replaced by Erich Ribbeck.

Into the 21st century

Entering the 21st century, Germany's standing as one of the best national sides in the world, and as of a team that almost always reach the later rounds of major tournaments, was starting to be threatened by disappointing results. In Euro 2000, they went out in the first round after failing to win any of their three matches, including an embarrassing 3-0 loss to a second-string Portugal side (the Portuguese having already advanced) and a 1-0 defeat to rivals England. Rudi Völler replaced Ribbeck as coach, initially on a temporary basis, and later permanently after planned successor Christoph Daum was involved in a drug scandal.

Coming into the 2002 World Cup, expectations of the German team were low, due to poor results in the qualifiers, including a 5-1 home defeat against England. However, they started out strong by thrashing Saudi Arabia 8-0 in their first match. At the knockout stages, they produced three consecutive 1-0 wins, against Paraguay, the United States, and co-hosts South Korea, setting up a final against Brazil, the first World Cup meeting between the two most successful teams in World Cup history. However, with the pivotal Michael Ballack suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, Germany's chances had declined. In a hard-fought match, Germany lost 2-0. German captain and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn won the Golden Ball, the first time in the World Cup's history a goalkeeper was named best player of the tournament. Simultaneously, he won the Yashin-Award as the best goalkeeper.

Unfortunately, Germany failed to build on their success in 2002, and again exited in the first round of Euro 2004 without winning a match. As was the case in 2000, the Germans bowed out after losing to the second-string side of a team that had already advanced, in this case that of the Czech Republic. Völler resigned afterwards, denouncing the constant media criticism in a famous TV interview, and the national team had to find their third new coach in six years, after having had only six coaches in the previous 75 years. As prospective candidates including Ottmar Hitzfeld and Otto Rehhagel turned down the job, former national team player Jürgen Klinsmann, who had never held any coaching jobs before, was appointed. In similar style to Beckenbauer's former role as team manager without a coaching license, experienced Joachim Löw from Stuttgart would take care of the actual coaching responsibilities. Klinsmann's main task was to lead the national team to a good showing at the 2006 World Cup, which Germany were going to host.

2006 World Cup

Although the host nation, hopes prior to the start of the tournament proper were not as high for Germany in the 2006 World Cup as in previous tournaments, even in Germany itself. Critics had pointed out the apparent lack of quality players in the squad and coach Klinsmann's decision to live in America rather than Germany.

Germany, however, won the opening game of the World Cup against Costa Rica 4-2. They continued to develop both confidence and support across the group stage, conceding no further goals as they beat Poland 1-0 and Ecuador 3-0, with Miroslav Klose scoring twice and Lukas Podolski adding another in the last match. Germany finishing top of the group with three wins.

The team went on to easily defeat Sweden 2-0 in the round of 16, with Lukas Podolski netting both goals in only 12 minutes, from assists by Miroslav Klose.

Public viewing of the match Germany vs. Argentina at the Donau Arena in Regensburg

Germany faced favourites Argentina in the quarter-finals, a team that Germany had not defeated since the 1990 World Cup. Germany's shutout streak was broken shortly after half time as Argentina scored first to grab a 1-0 lead. However, Michael Ballack's cross, flicked on by Tim Borowski, allowed Klose to head in the equalizer with 10 minutes to spare. During penalties, Jens Lehmann stopped two spot kicks while his teammates made all of the necessary goals to win the decisive shootout 4 - 2. These results produced much expectation in Germany, many thinking that a record eighth appearance at the final was possible.

The team then lost 0-2 to Italy, having conceding two goals in the dying ninety seconds of the extra time.

Despite having their dreams of playing in the final dashed, Klinsmann's squad quickly recovered their composure, and journalists noted the team's upbeat mood in the practices after the semi-final. Three starters, including captain Michael Ballack, would not be available for the third place match. They faced a full strength Portuguese team, with goalkeeper Ricardo having only conceded one goal in regular play. Nonetheless, Germany thoroughly routed Portugal 3-1, at one point being up three goals to nil from Bastian Schweinsteiger's two goals and an own goal, also off his shot, by Portugal's Petit.

Germany managed to end the World Cup on a high, not only with a 3-1 win over Portugal in the battle for third place, but also with several awards: Miroslav Klose was awarded the Golden Boot for his five tournament goals, and fellow striker Lukas Podolski won the 'Best Young Player' award. Furthermore, four of Germany's players (Jens Lehmann, Philipp Lahm, Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose) were selected for the 'Mastercard All-Star Team'. In addition, at 14 goals scored, the German side put away more goals than any other team. At the end of their tournament, more than 500,000 people celebrated the team's return by giving them a heroes welcome at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. All in all, Germany had a much better World Cup than many - at home and abroad - ever believed possible.

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

Germany's entry into the Euro 2008 qualifying round was marked, not least, by the arrival of new coach Joachim Löw. For the preliminary round, (which runs from 2 September 2006 - 21 November 2007) Germany were placed into Group D, along with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Ireland, San Marino, Slovakia and Wales. Thus far, Germany has performed well, though not against very high-ranking opponents.

Their first match, played 2 September, 2006, was against the Republic of Ireland (Elo rank: 20), and was won by Germany 1-0. A set piece from Lukas Podolski was diverted into the net by Robbie Keane, and gave Löw and the German team an opening victory to the tournament.

The second, played 6 September, 2006 resulted in an historic defeat for opponents San Marino: 13-0, their worst ever recorded loss and German best ever victory on away game (the previous record, a 9-1 success against Luxembourg, dated back to 1934), and their best post-reunification victory. Again, Lukas Podolski was the star, with four goals, but contributions were received from Michael Ballack (one goal), Manuel Friedrich (one goal), Miroslav Klose (two goals) Thomas Hitzlsperger (two goals), Bernd Schneider (one goal, a penalty), and Bastian Schweinsteiger (two goals). San Marino were, as the scoreline suggests, overwhelmed by their opponents: given that Germany's Elo ranking is 186 places above theirs.

Germany's third game against Slovakia continued Löw's unbeaten run - though not his clean sheet. It was played on the 11 October 2006, and resulted in another victory, with the Germans finishing up 4-1. Lukas Podolski was impressive again, scoring twice, with a further goal each to Michael Ballack and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Stanislav Varga scored the home team's single goal.

The team's final qualifier of 2006 was played against Cyprus on the 15th November, and brought a halt to their winning record. While Michael Ballack scored an early goal (his 35th for Germany), Cyprus struck back just before half-time with a goal by Ioannis Okkas, creating a scoreline which remained static until the final whistle.

Germany are now level-top, with 10 points, of Group D alongside the Czech Republic, whom they face when the competition resumes on the 24th March, 2007.

Competition History

Germany has won the World Cup three times, behind only Brazil (five titles) and Italy (four titles). It has finished as runners-up four times, two more than any other side. In terms of semifinal appearances, Germany leads with 11, one more than Brazil's 10, which had participated in two more tournaments (all 18, in fact). Germany has also qualified for every of the 16 World Cups it has entered - it did not enter the inaugural competition in Uruguay of 1930 for economical reason, and was barred from entering the post-war 1950 tournament for political reasons.

Germany has also won the European Championship three times (France is the only other multiple-time winners with two titles), and finished as runners-up twice. The Germans have qualified for every European Championship tournament except for the very first EC they entered in 1968. For that tournament, Germany was in the only group of three teams and thus only played four qualifying games. The deciding game was a scoreless draw in Albania which gave Yugoslavia the edge, having won there.

World Cup record

Year	Finish	Matches	Wins	Draws*	Losses	Goals Scored	Goals Against
As Germany
1930	Did not enter
1934	Third place	4	3	0	1	11	8
1938	Round 1	2	0	1	1	3	5
As West Germany
1950	Banned
1954	Champions	6	5	0	1	25	14
1958	Fourth place	6	2	2	2	12	14
1962	Quarterfinals	4	2	1	1	4	2
1966	Runners-up	6	4	1	1	15	6
1970	Third place	6	5	0	1	17	10
1974	Champions	7	6	0	1	13	4
1978	Round 2	6	1	4	1	10	5
1982	Runners-up	7	3	2	2	12	10
1986	Runners-up	7	3	2	2	8	7
1990	Champions	7	5	2	0	15	5
As Germany
1994	Quarterfinals	5	3	1	1	9	7
1998	Quarterfinals	5	3	1	1	8	6
2002	Runners-up	7	5	1	1	14	3
2006	Third Place	7	5	1	1	14	6
Total		92	55	19	18	190	112

Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

The team has qualified for 14 consecutive World Cup tournaments after the World War II ban, and over that time it has participated in the final seven times (tied only by Brazil). Only in 1958-1962 and 1994-1998 has Germany missed the finals two consecutive times. The seven finals participations yielded three championships, but also four runners-up, more than any other nation. Over the last nine tournaments, Germany has fared even better, appearing in five finals (55%) and winning two of them (22%).

Germany was the first team to have appeared in three consecutive final games ('82-'90), which has since been tied by Brazil ('94-'02). Germany is the only team with 11 semifinal appearances, losing only four of them. The 3-1 win over Portugal was Germany's 3rd Third place finish, after 1934 and 1970, with a Fourth place in 1958 completing the resumee.

European Championship record

Year	Finish	Matches	Wins	Draws*	Losses	Goals Scored	Goals Against
As West Germany
1960	Did not enter
1964	Did not enter
1968	Did not qualify
1972	Champions	2	2	0	0	5	1
1976	Runners-up	2	1	1	0	6	4
1980	Champions	4	3	1	0	6	3
1984	Round 1	3	1	1	1	2	2
1988	Semifinals	4	2	1	1	6	3
As Germany
1992	Runners-up	5	2	1	2	7	8
1996	Champions	6	4	2	0	10	3
2000	Round 1	3	0	1	2	1	5
2004	Round 1	3	0	2	1	2	3
2008	Qualification tournament in progress
Total		32	15	10	7	45	32

Players

Current squad

Caps and goals as of 15 November 2006.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Jens Lehmann	10 November 1969	42	0	Arsenal
2	2DF	Marcell Jansen	04 November 1985	11	0	Borussia Mönchengladbach
3	2DF	Arne Friedrich	29 May 1979	48	0	Hertha Berlin
7	3MF	Bastian Schweinsteiger	1 August 1984	41	13	Bayern Munich
8	3MF	Torsten Frings	22 November 1976	64	8	Werder Bremen
9	4FW	Mike Hanke	5 November 1983	10	1	Wolfsburg
11	4FW	Miroslav Klose	9 June 1978	67	33	Werder Bremen
12	1GK	Timo Hildebrand	5 April 1979	5	0	Stuttgart
13	3MF	Michael Ballack	26 September 1976	75	35	Chelsea
15	3MF	Thomas Hitzlsperger	5 April 1982	20	2	Stuttgart
16	2DF	Philipp Lahm	11 November 1983	30	2	Bayern Munich
17	2DF	Per Mertesacker	29 September 1984	29	1	Werder Bremen
18	3MF	Tim Borowski	02 May 1980	28	2	Werder Bremen
19	3MF	Bernd Schneider	17 November 1973	75	3	Bayer Leverkusen
21	2DF	Christoph Metzelder	05 November 1980	28	0	Borussia Dortmund
24	2DF	Manuel Friedrich	13 September 1979	6	1	Mainz 05
27	2DF	Clemens Fritz	7 December 1980	3	0	Werder Bremen
29	4FW	Jan Schlaudraff	18 July 1983	1	0	Alemannia Aachen
31	4FW	Kevin Kurányi	02 March 1982	35	14	Schalke 04
32	4FW	Mario Gomez	10 July 1985	1	1	Stuttgart

Previous squads

• 2006 FIFA World Cup squads - Germany
• 2004 European Football Championship squads - Germany
• 2002 FIFA World Cup squads - Germany
• 2000 European Football Championship squads - Germany
• 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup squads - Germany
• 1998 FIFA World Cup squads - Germany

Famous past players

Franz Beckenbauer Oliver Bierhoff Paul Breitner Andreas Brehme Sebastian Deisler Karlheinz Förster Thomas Häßler Helmut Haller Dietmar Hamann Oliver Kahn Jürgen Klinsmann

Jürgen Kohler Pierre Littbarski Sepp Maier Lothar Matthäus Andreas Möller Gerd Müller Günter Netzer Wolfgang Overath Helmut Rahn Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

Matthias Sammer (also played for East Germany) Mehmet Scholl Harald 'Toni' Schumacher Bernd Schuster Uwe Seeler Toni Turek Berti Vogts Rudi Völler Fritz Walter Wolfgang Weber

Fritz Walter, Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer and Lothar Matthäus are "Honorary team captains" (Ehrenspielführer).

Most capped players

Below is a list of the 22 players with the most caps for Germany, as of November 15, 2006 (* denotes players still available for selection):

#	Player	Germany career	Caps
1	Lothar Matthäus	1980-2000	150
2	Jürgen Klinsmann	1987-1998	108
3	Jürgen Kohler	1986-1998	105
4	Franz Beckenbauer	1965-1977	103
5	Thomas Häßler	1988-2000	101
6	Berti Vogts	1967-1978	96
7	Sepp Maier	1966-1979	95
=	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	1976-1986	95
9	Rudi Völler	1982-1994	90
10	Andreas Brehme	1984-1994	86
=	Oliver Kahn	1995-2006	86
12	Andreas Möller	1988-1999	85
13	Karlheinz Förster	1978-1986	81
=	Wolfgang Overath	1963-1974	81
15	Guido Buchwald	1984-1994	76
=	Harald Schumacher	1979-1986	76
17	Michael Ballack*	1999-2006	75
=	Bernd Schneider*	1999-2006	75
19	Pierre Littbarski	1981-1990	73
20	Hans-Peter Briegel	1979-1986	72
=	Uwe Seeler	1954-1970	72
=	Christian Ziege	1993-2004	72

Top goalscorers

Main article: List of leading goalscorers for the German national football team

Below is a list of the top 10 goalscorers for Germany, as of November 15, 2006 (* denotes players still available for selection):

#	Player	Goals
1	Gerd Müller	68
2	Jürgen Klinsmann	47
=	Rudi Völler	47
4	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	45
5	Uwe Seeler	43
6	Oliver Bierhoff	37
7	Michael Ballack*	35
8	Fritz Walter	33
=	Miroslav Klose*	33
10	Klaus Fischer	32

Tournament records

• Most World Cups played in: Lothar Matthäus - 5 (all-time record tied with Mexico's Antonio Carbajal)
• Most World Cup match appearances: Lothar Matthäus - 25 (all-time record)
• Most World Cup goals: Gerd Müller - 14 (second behind Brazil's Ronaldo with 15)
• Most European Championship match appearances: Thomas Häßler and Jürgen Klinsmann - 13
• Most European Championship goals: Jürgen Klinsmann - 5

Coaches

Name	Period	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	Honours
DFB committee	1908-1927	63	18	13	32
Otto Nerz	1928-1936	70	42	10	18	Third place at the 1934 World Cup
Sepp Herberger1	1936-1964	162	92	26	44	Winner of the 1954 World Cup, Fourth place at the 1958 World Cup
Helmut Schön	1964-1978	139	87	30	22	Runner-up of the 1966 World Cup, Third place at the 1970 World Cup, Winner of Euro 72, Winner of the 1974 World Cup, Runner-up of Euro 76
Jupp Derwall	1978-1984	67	45	11	11	Winner of Euro 80, Runner-up of the 1982 World Cup
Franz Beckenbauer	1984-1990	66	36	17	13	Runner-up of the 1986 World Cup, Winner of the 1990 World Cup
Berti Vogts	1990-1998	102	67	23	12	Runner-up of Euro 92, Winner of Euro 96
Erich Ribbeck	1998-2000	24	10	6	8
Rudi Völler	2000-2004	53	29	11	13	Runner-up of the 2002 World Cup
Jürgen Klinsmann	2004-2006	34	21	7	6	Third place at the 2006 World Cup
Joachim Löw2	2006-	6	5	1	0
	Total2	785	452	154	179

Notes

1. Record includes periods of pre-division Germany (1936-1942 -- 65 matches: 40 wins, 12 draws, 13 losses) and West Germany (1950-1964 -- 97 matches: 52 wins, 14 draws, 31 losses).
2. Record as of November 15, 2006.

Trivia

The 2006 World Cup saw an unprecedented widespread public display of the national flag in the Federal Republic of Germany.

• Germany does not have a national stadium, and rotate their home matches among various stadiums across the country.
• The national team's home dress has always been a white jersey and black shorts (the colours of Prussia), while the away jersey colour has changed several times. Historically, green shirt with white shorts is the most often used alternative colour combination, derived from the DFB colours (and the ones of a playing field). Other colours such as grey and black have also been used. The last change, from black to red, came in November 2004 on the request of Klinsmann, citing that teams in red are statistically more successful, and perceived as more intimidating. He hoped to use the red away shirt as first choice for the 2006 World Cup despite less than impressive results when playing in these colours (for example, the 1-4 loss in Italy), but eventually Germany played in its traditional colors.
• *Germany's common use of a green-coloured away jersey is not in recognition of the fact that Ireland were the first nation to play Germany in a friendly game after World War 2. This is, however, a common urban legend.[3]
• Germany played in the FIFA Confederations Cup twice, in 1999 (first round exit) and in 2005 (third place) as hosts.
• Since their penalty shootout loss to Czechoslovakia in Euro 76, Germany has not lost a penalty shootout in major international tournaments. In fact, the last penalty missed by a German player dates back to the semi-finals of the 1982 world cup when French goalkeeper Jean-Luc Ettori saved Uli Stielike's shot. In particular, England suffered two heartbreaking semi-final losses to Germany on penalties in the 1990s. As England striker Gary Lineker once said: "Football is a game with 22 people and in the end the Germans always win." In reality, Germany or German teams are among the teams with the most final losses (sometimes also very unlucky), for example in the FIFA World Cup or in the UEFA Champions League, yet they had to win first to get there.
• German teams have something of a tradition of beginning their history against Switzerland: The first match of a German national team ever, the first match after World War I in 1920, the first match of a West German team after World War II in 1950 when Germany was still banned from most international competitions, and the first match of the reunited German team in 1990 were all against Switzerland. West Germany's first championship title was even won at the 1954 FIFA World Cup, on the road, at Wankdorf Stadion in Bern, Switzerland. Most of the home games (7 since 1911) were at Stuttgart's Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion. Klaus Fischer also scored Germany's "ARD Goal of the Century" there against the Swiss in 1977, with a "Bicycle kick" ("Fallrückzieher"), his trademark move with which he also scored the important 3:3 equalizer in overtime (108th minute) at the 1982 FIFA World Cup vs France, but this was not chosen for the Top 10 of the WC Goal of the Century
• Germany can boast of having the first and only goalkeeper to win the Player of the Tournament award following a World Cup, that being Oliver Kahn in 2002. Harald "Toni" Schumacher was runner-up for the award in 1986.
• Toni Schumacher holds the record for the most World Cup penalty shootout saves, with four. He saved two against France in 1982 and another two against Mexico in 1986.
• German first-choice goalkeepers have all been a part of the national team's string of successes; Harald Schumacher won Euro 1980 and reached the finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cup. Bodo Illgner helped to win the 1990 World Cup, Andreas Köpke won Euro 1996, Oliver Kahn reached the 2002 World Cup finals, and Jens Lehmann reached the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup.
• Germany also has one of the world's greatest ever goal scorers in Gerd Müller, who racked up fourteen goals in just two World Cups. His ten goals in 1970 are the second most in a tournament, just behind France's Just Fontaine. Though Müller's all time Finals score was broken by Ronaldo in 2006, it took the latter four tournaments to do so (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006). France's Just Fontaine is in third place all-time, with thirteen goals scored at the 1958 World Cup.
• Germany have reached 11 World Cup semi-finals, more than any other nation.
• During the period of the 1970s and 80s, West Germany also achieved small success at the Olympic Games, most notably in the 1988 Olympics, when they won the bronze medal, while also reaching the Second Round in both 1972 and 1984. In the 1972 Olympics, West Germany played against East Germany in the second group stage, losing 3-2.

See also

• Germany national under-21 football team
• Germany women's national football team
• England and Germany football rivalry

External links

• DFB's German national football team page
• DFB's statistics of the German team
• German Football Team News
• Germany Team Fans Site
• RSSSF archive of Germany results
• RSSSF record of international players
• Germany Football Team World Cup 2006 News
• World Cup 2006 News
• Germany: "And they never give up..."
• Germany Euro 1996 national team on Coca-Cola can