{{Infobox National football team
| Name = Germany
| Badge = Germany_shirt_logo.png
| Badge_size = 150px
| FIFA Trigramme = GER
| FIFA Rank = 9
| 1st ranking date = August 1993 |
FIFA max = 1 |
FIFA max date = August 1993 |
FIFA min = 22 |
FIFA min date = March 2006|

| Elo Rank = 8
| Nickname = ''Die Nationalmannschaft'' ("The National Team") ''Die Nationalelf'' ("The National Eleven")
| Association = [[German Football Association|Deutscher Fußball-Bund — DFB]] 
| Coach = {{Flagicon|Germany}} [[Joachim Löw]]
| Captain = [[Michael Ballack]]
| Most caps = [[Lothar Matthäus]] (150)
| Top scorer = [[Gerd Müller]] (68)
| pattern_la1=_blackshoulders|pattern_b1=_Germany local 2006|pattern_ra1=_blackshoulders|
leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FFFFFF|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=000000|socks1=FFFFFF|
pattern_la2=_shouldersonblack|pattern_b2=__geraway06|pattern_ra2=_whiteshoulders|
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FF0000|rightarm2=FF0000|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FF0000
| First game = {{Flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] 5 - 3 Germany {{Flagicon|Germany old}} ([[Basel]], [[Switzerland]]; [[5 April]], [[1908]])
| Largest win = {{Flagicon|Germany old}} Germany 16 - 0 [[Russia national football team|Russia]] [[Image:Romanov_Flag.svg|22x20px]] ([[Stockholm]], [[Sweden]]; [[1 July]], [[1912]])
| Largest loss = {{Flagicon|England}} [[England national football team|England]] 9 - 0 Germany {{Flagicon|Germany old}} ([[Oxford]], [[England]]; [[16 March]], [[1909]])
| World cup apps = 16 
| World cup first = 1934
| World cup best = Winners, [[Football World Cup 1954|1954]], [[Football World Cup 1974|1974]], [[Football World Cup 1990|1990]]
| Regional name = [[European Football Championship|European Championship]]
| Regional cup apps = 9
| Regional cup first = [[1972 European Football Championship|1972]]
| Regional cup best = Winners, [[1972 European Football Championship|1972]], [[1980 European Football Championship|1980]], [[1996 European Football Championship|1996]]
}}
The '''German national football team''' (''Die deutsche Nationalmannschaft'') represents the [[German Football Association]] (DFB) in international [[football (soccer)|football]] competitions since 1908. After 1949, during the [[Cold War]], the (East) ''German Democratic Republic'' fielded its [[East Germany national football team|own team]] (as the [[Saarland national football team|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 colloquial names of both the united state and its team has reverted back to simply ''Germany''.

Germany has been the most successful European national team at international competitions, having won a total of 3 World Cups and 3 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]], team manager [[Oliver Bierhoff]] and goalkeeper coach [[Andreas Köpke]].

==History and Success==
Germany has won the [[Football World Cup|World Cup]] three times, behind only [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] (five titles) and [[Italy national football team|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 [[Football World Cup 1930|1930]], and was barred from entering the post-war [[Football World Cup 1950|1950]] tournament.

Germany has also won the [[European Football Championship|European Championship]] three times ([[France national football team|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 European Football Championship|1968]]. Germany played only 4 qualifying games in the only group of 3 teams, and managed only a 0-0 in [[Albania national football team|Albania]] while Yugoslavia won there, giving Yugoslavia the edge.

===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 national football team|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 [[Football World Cup 1934|1934 World Cup]] in their first ever World Cup appearance. Two years later, [[Sepp Herberger]] took over as coach.

After [[Austria]] was made part of Germany in the ''[[Anschluss]]'' of 1938, Austrian players from [[Rapid Wien]] were ordered to join the German team on short terms for political reasons. In the [[Football World Cup 1938|1938 World Cup]], the "united" German team was knocked out in the first round after two games against Switzerland, the only time this has happened in a World Cup.

The team played over 30 international games between September 1939 and November 1942.

===Post WWII===
====Three German teams====
After the war, Germany was banned from competition in most sports until late 1950 or longer, with all three (or four when counting [[Austria national football team|Austria]]) new German states being barred from entering the [[Football World Cup 1950|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 [[Football World Cup 1954 (qualification)|1954 World Cup qualifiers]], when they finished below West Germany but above [[Norway national football team|Norway]] in their qualification group, having won in Oslo. Legendary coach [[Helmut Schön]] was the manager of the Saarland team from 1952 until merged with Germany in 1957. For the history and records of the Saarland team, see ''[[Saarland national football team]]''.

From 1949 to 1990, [[East Germany]] (German Democratic Republic) were represented by a separate national football team, for example, winning the gold medal in 1976 in Olympic football. The "other Germans" were also the only team able to beat Germany (West) when they won the [[1974 World Cup]], a highly symbolic event for both parts of the nation. For the history and records of the East German team, see ''[[East Germany national football team]]''.

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 national football team|Switzerland]] was once again the first [http://www.rsssf.com/tablesd/duit-intres.html] team that would play West Germany in 1950, with [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] and [[Republic of Ireland national football team|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 Miracle of Bern====
West Germany, captained by [[Fritz Walter (footballer, 1920)|Fritz Walter]], met in the [[Football World Cup 1954|1954 World Cup]] some of the teams they had played in friendly matches, namely [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]], [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] and [[Austria national football team|Austria]]. When playing favorites [[Hungary national football team|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 [[Football World Cup 1958|1958 World Cup]] and reaching the quarter-finals in the [[Football World Cup 1962|1962 World Cup]], [[Helmut Schön]] took over as coach in [[1964]]. In the [[Football World Cup 1966|1966 World Cup]], West Germany reached the final after beating the USSR in the semifinal, facing hosts [[England national football team|England]] at [[Wembley Stadium]]. [[Wolfgang Weber]]'s last minute goal took the game into [[extra time]], a goal claimed to be controversial, with the ball appearing to hit the hand of a [[Germany|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 [[:de:Wembley-Tor|Wembley-Tor]] (Wembley goal) in Germany, has remained controversial even to this date. Many Germans believed that the goal was given incorrectly, citing the possible bias of the Soviet linesman, and a 1995 research by [[Oxford University]] using computer video analysis of the [[television]] footage that concluded 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. With the Germans pushing hard to tie the game, spectators entered the field in the final seconds, and Hurst scored again.

West Germany suffered another memorable extra time loss in the [[Football World Cup 1970|1970 World Cup]], this time in the semi-finals to [[Italy national football team|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 all three of its substitutions. Eventually won 4-3 by Italy, this match is one of the most dramatic in World Cup history, and is called [[Jahrhundertspiel]] (Game of the Century) in both Mexico and Germany. West Germany went on to claim third place by beating [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] 1-0, and [[Gerd Müller]] finished as the [[Football World Cup awards|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. First they won the European Championship for the first time in [[1972 European Football Championship|Euro 72]], after beating the [[USSR national football team|Soviet Union]] 3-0 in the final. Then as hosts of the [[Football World Cup 1974|1974 World Cup]], they won their second World Cup title, after beating the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] 2-1 in the final at [[Olympic Stadium, Munich|Olympiastadion]].

Two matches in the 1974 World Cup stood out for West Germany. The first group stage saw a politically charged match as West and [[East Germany national football team|East Germany]] played each other, which the East won 1-0. The other match was the final against the [[Johan Cruijff]]-led Dutch team and their brand of [[Total Football]]. It began dramatically as Cruijff was brought down in the German [[penalty area (football)|penalty area]] following a solo run, and the Dutch took the lead from the ensuing [[penalty kick (football)|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 national football team|Czechoslovakia]] in the final of [[1976 European Football Championship|Euro 76]] in a [[penalty shootout (football)|penalty shootout]] by a score of 5-3, after the match finished 2-2. Then in the [[Football World Cup 1978|1978 World Cup]], they were eliminated in the second group stage after losing 3-2 to [[Austria national football team|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 [[1980 European Football Championship|Euro 80]] after beating [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]] 2-1 in the final, their second European title. West Germany then reached the final of the [[Football World Cup 1982|1982 World Cup]], but not without difficulties. They were upset 2-1 by [[Algeria national football team|Algeria]] in their first match, but managed to sneak into the second round with a controversial 1-0 win over [[Austria national football team|Austria]] as the result advanced both teams at the expense of Algeria. Then in their semi-final against [[France national football team|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 national football team|Italy]] by a score of 3-1.

===Beckenbauer's triumph as coach===
After being eliminated in the first round of [[1984 European Football Championship|Euro 84]], [[Franz Beckenbauer]] returned to the national team and replaced Derwall as coach. In the [[Football World Cup 1986|1986 World Cup]], West Germany finished as runners-up for the second consecutive time, after again beating [[France national football team|France]] 2-0 in the semi-finals, but losing to the [[Diego Maradona]]-led [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] 3-2 in the final. In [[1988 European Football Championship|Euro 88]], West Germany's hopes of winning the tournament on home soil were spoiled by the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]], as the Dutch gained revenge of their loss in 1974 by beating them 2-1 in the semi-final.

In the [[Football World Cup 1990|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 national football team|Yugoslavia]] (4-1), [[United Arab Emirates national football team|UAE]] (5-1), the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] (2-1), [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]] (1-0), and [[England national football team|England]] (1-1, 4-3 on penalty kicks) on the way to a final rematch against [[Argentina national football team|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.

===Mixed results in the 1990s===
After the World Cup win in 1990, assistant [[Berti Vogts]] took over from Beckenbauer as the national team coach. Moreover, the [[German reunification|reunificiation of Germany]] meant players from East Germany, such as [[Matthias Sammer]] and [[Ulf Kirsten]], became eligible to represent the new unified team. In [[1992 European Football Championship|Euro 92]], Germany reached the final, but lost 2-0 to surprise winners [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]]. Then as defending champions in the [[Football World Cup 1994|1994 World Cup]], they were upset 2-1 in the quarter-finals by [[Bulgaria national football team|Bulgaria]] after taking the lead.

Germany won their first major international title after the reunification at [[1996 European Football Championship|Euro 96]], becoming European champions for the third time. They defeated [[England national football team|England]], who were the hosts, again on penalty kicks (6-5, after a 1-1 draw) in the semi-finals, and the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]] 2-1 in the final, a match decided by a [[golden goal]] scored by [[Oliver Bierhoff]]. However, in the [[Football World Cup 1998|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 national football team|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 a team that almost always reach the later rounds of major tournaments was starting to be threatened by disappointing results. In [[2000 European Football Championship|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 national football team|Portugal]] side (the Portuguese having already advanced) and a 1-0 defeat to rivals [[England national football team|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 [[Football World Cup 2002|2002 World Cup]], expectations of the German team were low, due to poor results in the [[Football World Cup 2002 (qualification UEFA)|qualifiers]], including a [[Germany 1 England 5 (2001)|5-1 home defeat]] against [[England national football team|England]]. However, they started out strong by thrashing [[Saudi Arabia national football team|Saudi Arabia]] 8-0 in their first match. At the knockout stages, they produced three consecutive 1-0 wins, against [[Paraguay national football team|Paraguay]], the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]], and co-hosts [[South Korea national football team|South Korea]], setting up a final against [[Brazil national football team|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 card]]s, Germany's chances had declined. In a hard-fought match, Germany lost 2-0. German goalkeeper [[Oliver Kahn]] was voted the [[Football World Cup awards|best player of the tournament]], the first time in the World Cup's history a goalkeeper became the 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 [[2004 European Football Championship|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 national football team|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 [[Football World Cup 2006|2006 World Cup]], which Germany hosted. See [[Germany national football team#2006 World Cup Information|2006 updates]] for details.

===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, winning every game and finishing top of the group, having conceded no further goals.

The team went on to produce a string of impressive wins against Sweden and favourites Argentina in the knockout round. Sweden was felled 2-0 in the round of 16, with [[Lukas Podolski]] netting both goals in only 12 minutes, from assists by [[Miroslav Klose]].

Germany faced favourites Argentina in the quarter-finals, a team that Germany had not defeated since the 1990 World Cup. Lehmann's shutout streak was broken shortly after half time as Argentina scored first to grab a 1-0 lead. However, Ballack's free kick allowed Klose to head in the equalizer with 10 minutes to spare. During penalties, Lehmann stopped two shots 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 a record eighth appearance at the final was possible.

Unfortunately for the fans, the team 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 Pereira|Ricardo]] having only conceded one goal in regular play. Nonetheless, Germany thoroughly routed Portugal 3-1, at one point being up 3 goals to nil from [[Bastian Schweinsteiger]]'s two goals and an own goal, also off his shot, by Portugal's [[Armando_Teixeira|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 an impressive string of awards: [[Miroslav Klose]] was awarded the Golden Boot for his 5 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, and the team will hope to go even further with their progress at [[Euro 2008]].

==World Cup record==

{| class=wikitable
|-
|| Year || Finish || Matches || Wins || Draws* || Losses || Goals Scored || Goals Against
|-
| colspan=7 align=center | ''As Germany''
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1930|1930]] || ''Did not enter'' || || || || || ||
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1934|1934]] || Third place || 4 || 3 || 0 || 1 || 11 || 8
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1938|1938]] || Round 1 || 2 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 3 || 5
|-
| colspan=7 align=center | ''As West Germany''
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1950|1950]] || ''Banned'' || || || || || ||
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1954|1954]] || '''Champions''' || 6 || 5 || 0 || 1 || 25 || 14
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1958|1958]] || Fourth place || 6 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 12 || 14
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1962|1962]] || Quarterfinals || 4 || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4 || 2
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1966|1966]] || Runners-up || 6 || 4 || 1 || 1 || 15 || 6
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1970|1970]] || Third place || 6 || 5 || 0 || 1 || 17 || 10
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1974|1974]] || '''Champions''' || 7 || 6 || 0 || 1 || 13 || 4
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1978|1978]] || Round 2 || 6 || 1 || 4 || 1 || 10 || 5
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1982|1982]] || Runners-up || 7 || 3 || 2 || 2 || 12 || 10
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1986|1986]] || Runners-up || 7 || 3 || 2 || 2 || 8 || 7
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1990|1990]] || '''Champions''' || 7 || 5 || 2 || 0 || 15 || 5
|-
| colspan=7 align=center | ''As Germany''
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1994|1994]] || Quarterfinals || 5 || 3 || 1 || 1 || 9 || 7
|-
||[[Football World Cup 1998|1998]] || Quarterfinals || 5 || 3 || 1 || 1 || 8 || 6
|-
||[[Football World Cup 2002|2002]] || Runners-up || 7 || 5 || 1 || 1 || 14 || 3
|-
||[[Football World Cup 2006|2006]] || Third Place || 7 || 5 || 1 || 1 || 14 || 6
|-
|| '''Total''' || || '''92''' || '''55''' || '''19''' || '''18''' || '''190''' || '''112'''
|}
Draws include knockout matches decided on [[penalty shootout (football)|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 4 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==

{| class=wikitable
|-
|| Year || Finish
|-
| colspan=7 align=center | ''As West Germany''
|-
||[[1960 European Football Championship|1960]] || Did not enter
|-
||[[1964 European Football Championship|1964]] || Did not enter
|-
||[[1968 European Football Championship|1968]] || Did not qualify
|-
||[[1972 European Football Championship|1972]] || '''Champions'''
|-
||[[1976 European Football Championship|1976]] || Runners-up
|-
||[[1980 European Football Championship|1980]] || '''Champions'''
|-
||[[1984 European Football Championship|1984]] || Round 1
|-
||[[1988 European Football Championship|1988]] || Semifinals
|-
| colspan=7 align=center | ''As Germany''
|-
||[[1992 European Football Championship|1992]] || Runners-up
|-
||[[1996 European Football Championship|1996]] || '''Champions'''
|-
||[[2000 European Football Championship|2000]] || Round 1
|-
||[[2004 European Football Championship|2004]] || Round 1
|-
||[[2008 European Football Championship|2008]] || ''Qualifying starts 9/2/06''
|}

==Players==
===Famous past players===
{|
|valign="top"|
*[[Franz Beckenbauer]]
*[[Oliver Bierhoff]]
*[[Paul Breitner]]
*[[Andreas Brehme]]
*[[Karlheinz Förster]]
*[[Thomas Häßler]]
*[[Helmut Haller]]
*[[Dietmar Hamann]]
*[[Oliver Kahn]]
*[[Jürgen Klinsmann]]
|width="50"| 
|valign="top"|
*[[Jürgen Kohler]]
*[[Pierre Littbarski]]
*[[Sepp Maier]]
*[[Lothar Matthäus]]
*[[Andreas Möller]]
*[[Gerd Müller]]
*[[Günter Netzer]]
*[[Wolfgang Overath]]
*[[Helmut Rahn]]
*[[Karl-Heinz Rummenigge]]
|width="50"| 
|valign="top"|
*[[Matthias Sammer]] (also played for [[East Germany national football team|East Germany]])
*[[Mehmet Scholl]]
*[[Harald Schumacher|Harald 'Toni' Schumacher]]
*[[Bernd Schuster]]
*[[Uwe Seeler]]
*[[Toni Turek]]
*[[Berti Vogts]]
*[[Rudi Völler]]
*[[Fritz Walter (footballer, 1920)|Fritz Walter]]
*[[Wolfgang Weber]]
|}

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

==Current players==
*WC06 indicates player included in [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] squad.''
===Goalkeepers===
*[[Timo Hildebrand]] (WC06)
*[[Jens Lehmann]] (WC06)

===Defenders===
*[[Malik Fathi]]
*[[Arne Friedrich]] (WC06)
*[[Manuel Friedrich]]
*[[Robert Huth]] (WC06)
*[[Marcell Jansen]] (WC06)
*[[Philipp Lahm]] (WC06)
*[[Per Mertesacker]] (WC06)
*[[Christoph Metzelder]] (WC06)
*[[Jens Nowotny]] (WC06)

===Midfielders===
*[[Michael Ballack]] (WC06)
*[[Tim Borowski]] (WC06)
*[[Sebastian Deisler]]
*[[Torsten Frings]] (WC06)
*[[Thomas Hitzlsperger]] (WC06)
*[[Sebastian Kehl]] (WC06)
*[[David Odonkor]] (WC06)
*[[Bernd Schneider (footballer)|Bernd Schneider]] (WC06)
*[[Bastian Schweinsteiger]] (WC06)

===Strikers===
*[[Gerald Asamoah]] (WC06)
*[[Mike Hanke]] (WC06)
*[[Miroslav Klose]] (WC06)
*[[Kevin Kurányi]]
*[[Oliver Neuville]] (WC06)
*[[Lukas Podolski]] (WC06)

==2006 World Cup==

[[Image:WC2006 Germany squad.jpg|center|400px|thumb|Germany World Cup 2006 squad.
Bottom, left to right: 4 - [[Robert Huth]], 17 - [[Per Mertesacker]], 12 - [[Oliver Kahn]], 1 - [[Jens Lehmann]], 23 - [[Timo Hildebrand]], 2 - [[Marcell Jansen]], 18 - [[Tim Borowski]] Middle: [[Jürgen Klinsmann]] (head coach), [[Joachim Löw]] (assistant coach), 10 - [[Oliver Neuville]], 22 - [[David Odonkor]], 19 - [[Bernd Schneider (footballer)|Bernd Schneider]], 7 - [[Bastian Schweinsteiger]], 20 - [[Lukas Podolski]], 14 - [[Gerald Asamoah]], 8 - [[Torsten Frings]], 16 - [[Philipp Lahm]], [[Andreas Köpke]] (goalkeeper coach), [[Oliver Bierhoff]] (manager) Top: 15 - [[Thomas Hitzlsperger]], 9 - [[Mike Hanke]], 3 - [[Arne Friedrich]], 13 - [[Michael Ballack]] (captain), 11 - [[Miroslav Klose]], 6 - [[Jens Nowotny]], 21 - [[Christoph Metzelder]], 5 - [[Sebastian Kehl]]]]
Head coach of the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]] squad: [[Jürgen Klinsmann]]

*''see also [[2006 FIFA World Cup (squads)]]

===[[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]] Information===

*Germany won the 3rd place game in Stuttgart by beating Portugal 3-1, with Schweinsteiger being responsible for all 3 German goals, by scoring twice plus providing a free kick that was deflected by Portuguese midfielder [[Armando Petit]] for an own goal.
*With the exception of third goalkeeper [[Timo Hildebrand]], all players on the World Cup squad appeared in at least one game.
*Germany lost the semifinal in Dortmund to [[Italy national football team|Italy]] in extra time, with Italy scoring twice seconds before the second overtime ended.
*Torsten Frings had been suspended for the semifinal match due to evidence that he was provoked, and for a second match which is subject to a six-month probationary period, on the basis of his punch to [[Julio Cruz]] in the quarterfinal. This meant that he was able to play in the third place playoff.
*Germans were attacked by the losing Argentinian side after the penalty shootout. [[Leandro Cufre]] was send off for kicking [[Per Mertesacker]], [[Maxi Rodriguez]] hit [[Bastian Schweinsteiger]] from behind, and FIFA announced an investigation of video evidence.
*Germany beat [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] (1-1, 4-2 pens) in the first Quarterfinal in Berlin, with [[Jens Lehmann]] making two crucial penalty saves. Klose had added another goal, now leading the scorer list with 5, two clear of several others.
*In the Round of 16, Germany beat [[Sweden national football team|Sweden]] 2-0 in [[Allianz Arena|FIFA WM Stadion München]], [[Munich]], by two early goals by Podolski (assists by Klose)
*With a decisive 3-0 over Ecuador thanks to Klose (twice) and [[Lukas Podolski]], Germany took first place in Group A, with three wins
*When [[Ecuador national football team|Ecuador]] had beaten [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]] 3-0, they secured themselves and Germany a place in the last 16, with the final Group game between these teams deciding who win will Group A
*Germany won their second game in the group against [[Poland national football team|Poland]] 1-0 after [[Oliver Neuville]] scored in the 91st minute to give the team a victory. This win meant that if [[Ecuador national football team|Ecuador]] won their game against [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]] then both Germany and Ecuador would be guaranteed a place in the last 16.
*Germany, hosts of the event, won their opening game with the final score finishing 4-2 in their favour over [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]]. This was a fast-paced match that saw three goals in the first eighteen minutes. One goal each from [[Phillipp Lahm|Lahm]] and [[Torsten Frings|Frings]], along with two goals from [[Miroslav Klose]] made up Germany's tally. Striker [[Paulo Wanchope]] scored both of Costa Rica's goals, levelling at 1-1, and getting closer at 3-2. The 4-2 result was the highest-ever score in any opening match of the World Cup.

==Most capped players==
Below is a list of the 20 players with the most [[cap (football)|caps]] for Germany, as of [[August 16]], [[2006]] (* denotes active players):
{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!Player
!Germany career
!Caps
|-
|1
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Lothar Matthäus]]
|1980-2000
|150
|-
|2
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Jürgen Klinsmann]]
|1987-1998
|108
|-
|3
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Jürgen Kohler]]
|1986-1998
|105
|-
|4
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Franz Beckenbauer]]
|1965-1977
|103
|-
|5
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Thomas Häßler]]
|1988-2000
|101
|-
|6
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Berti Vogts]]
|1967-1978
|96
|-
|7
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Sepp Maier]]
|1966-1979
|95
|-
|=
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Karl-Heinz Rummenigge]]
|1976-1986
|95
|-
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Rudi Völler]]
|1982-1994
|90
|-
|10
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Andreas Brehme]]
|1984-1994
|86
|-
|=
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Oliver Kahn]]
|1995-2006
|86
|-
|12
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Andreas Möller]]
|1988-1999
|85
|-
|13
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Karlheinz Förster]]
|1978-1986
|81
|-
|=
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Wolfgang Overath]]
|1963-1974
|81
|-
|15
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Guido Buchwald]]
|1984-1994
|76
|-
|=
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Harald Schumacher]]
|1979-1986
|76
|-
|17
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Pierre Littbarski]]
|1981-1990
|73
|-
|18
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Hans-Peter Briegel]]
|1979-1986
|72
|-
|=
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Bernd Schneider (footballer)|Bernd Schneider]]*
|1999-2006
|72
|-
|=
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Uwe Seeler]]
|1954-1970
|72
|-
|=
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Christian Ziege]]
|1993-2004
|72
|-
|}

===Top goalscorers===
{{main|List of leading goalscorers for the German national football team}}

Below is a list of the top 10 goalscorers for Germany, as of [[August 16]], [[2006]] (* denotes active players):

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!Player
!Goals
|-
|1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Gerd Müller]]
|68
|-
|2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Jürgen Klinsmann]]
|47
|-
|=
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Rudi Völler]]
|47
|-
|4
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Karl-Heinz Rummenigge]]
|45
|-
|5
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Uwe Seeler]]
|43
|-
|6
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Oliver Bierhoff]]
|37
|-
|7
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Fritz Walter (footballer, 1920)|Fritz Walter]]
|33
|-
|8
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Klaus Fischer]]
|32
|-
|9
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Michael Ballack]]*
|31
|-
|=
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Miroslav Klose]]*
|31
|-
|=
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Ernst Lehner]]
|31
|-
|}

===Tournament records===
* Most World Cups played in: [[Lothar Matthäus]] - 5 (all-time record tied with [[Mexico national football team|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 national football team|Brazil]]'s [[Ronaldo]] with 15)
* Most European Championship match appearances: [[Thomas Häßler]] and [[Jürgen Klinsmann]] - 13
* Most European Championship goals: [[Jürgen Klinsmann]] - 5

==Coaches==
{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!Period
!Matches
!Wins
!Draws
!Losses
!Honours
|-
| DFB committee
| align="center" |1908-1927
| align="center" | 63
| align="center" | 18(29%)
| align="center" | 13(21%)
| align="center" | 32(51%)
|
|-
| [[Otto Nerz]]
| align="center" |1928-1936
| align="center" | 70
| align="center" | 42(60%)
| align="center" | 10(14%)
| align="center" | 18(26%)
| Third place at the [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934 World Cup]]
|-
| [[Sepp Herberger]][[#Notes|1]]
| align="center" |1936-1964
| align="center" | 162
| align="center" | 92(57%)
| align="center" | 26(16%)
| align="center" | 44(27%)
| Winner of the [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954 World Cup]], Fourth place at the [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958 World Cup]]
|-
| [[Helmut Schön]]
| align="center" |1964-1978
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 87(63%)
| align="center" | 30(12%)
| align="center" | 22(16%)
| Runner-up of the [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966 World Cup]], Third place at the [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970 World Cup]], Winner of [[1972 European Football Championship|Euro 72]], Winner of the [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974 World Cup]], Runner-up of [[1976 European Football Championship|Euro 76]]
|-
| [[Jupp Derwall]]
| align="center" |1978-1984
| align="center" | 67
| align="center" | 45(67%)
| align="center" | 11(16%)
| align="center" | 11(12%)
| Winner of [[1980 European Football Championship|Euro 80]], Runner-up of the [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982 World Cup]]
|-
| [[Franz Beckenbauer]]
| align="center" |1984-1990
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 36(55%)
| align="center" | 17(26%)
| align="center" | 13(20%)
| Runner-up of the [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986 World Cup]], Winner of the [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990 World Cup]]
|-
| [[Berti Vogts]]
| align="center" |1990-1998
| align="center" | 102
| align="center" | 67(66%)
| align="center" | 23(23%)
| align="center" | 12(12%)
| Runner-up of [[1992 European Football Championship|Euro 92]], Winner of [[1996 European Football Championship|Euro 96]]
|-
| [[Erich Ribbeck]]
| align="center" |1998-2000
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 10(42%)
| align="center" | 6(25%)
| align="center" | 8(33%)
|
|-
| [[Rudi Völler]]
| align="center" |2000-2004
| align="center" | 53
| align="center" | 29(55%)
| align="center" | 11(21%)
| align="center" | 13(25%)
| Runner-up of the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 World Cup]]
|-
| [[Jürgen Klinsmann]]
| align="center" |2004-2006
| align="center" | 34
| align="center" | 21(62%)
| align="center" | 7(21%)
| align="center" | 6(18%)
| Third place at the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]]
|-
| [[Joachim Löw]][[#Notes|2]]
| align="center" |2006-
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 1(100%)
| align="center" | 0(0%)
| align="center" | 0(0%)
|
|-
!
! Total[[#Notes|2]]
! 781
! 448(57%)
! 154(20%)
! 179(23%)
|
|}

;Notes
# 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).
# Record as of [[August 16]], [[2006]].

==Notes==
[[Image:World Cup 2006 German fans at Bochum.jpg|thumb|250px|The 2006 World Cup saw an unprecedented widespread public display of the [[Flag of Germany|national flag]] in 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, 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 loss in Italy), but the [[FIFA]] decided that Germany had to play in its traditional colors.
* Germany played in the [[Confederations Cup|FIFA Confederations Cup]] twice, in [[Confederations Cup 1999|1999]] (first round exit) and in [[Confederations Cup 2005|2005]] (third place) as hosts.
* Interestingly, Germany did not beat a European team in the finals of either the World Cup or the European Championship between their victory over the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]] in the [[1996 European Football Championship|Euro 96]] final and their victory over [[Poland national football team|Poland]] in the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]], a span of 10 years and 9 matches. Their record against non-European teams in the World Cup during this period is 9 wins and 1 loss (against Brazil in the 2002 final).
* It was also often reported in the media that they have not beaten a "major football power" since their 1-0 victory over [[England national football team|England]] in [[2000]] until Germany beat Argentina during the World Cup 2006 quarter finals (Germany won the penalty shootout with 4-2). However, when reaching the final of the [[2002 World Cup]], Germany could only beat those "non-major football powers" which had qualified to play against them, not the "major football powers" that were eliminated early from a tournament. For example, Germany beat both [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] and the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] during this period, who were both ranked in the top ten of the [[FIFA World Rankings]] at the time.
* Since their [[penalty shootout]] loss to [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]] in [[1976 European Football Championship|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 national football team|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 national football team|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 {{WC|1982}} vs France, but this was not among 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 as well as having one of the world's greatest ever goal scorers in Gerd Muller.
* Germany have reached 11 World Cup semi-finals, more than any other nation.

==See also==
*[[Germany national under-21 football team]]
*[[Germany women's national football team]]
*[[England and Germany football rivalry]]

==External links==
*[http://www.dfb.de/dfb-team/nationalteam/statistik/e_right.php DFB statistics of the national team]
*[http://www.rsssf.com/tablesd/duit-intres.html RSSSF archive of Germany results]
*[http://www.a2bworldcup.com/germany.html Germany Football Team World Cup 2006 News]
*[http://www.germanfootball.net World Cup 2006 News]
*[http://www.jadransport.org/articles/2377.html Germany: "And they never give up..."]
*[http://www.cokecans.com/can/237-Euro-1996-Fur-Alle-Fans-Team-picture Germany Euro 1996 national team on Coca-Cola can]
*[http://www.booksmusicfilmstv.com/WorldCup2006/Germany.htm Match reports on Germany's matches in the 2006 World Cup]

{{fb start}}
{{International Football}}
{{UEFA teams}}
{{2006 FIFA World Cup finalists}}
{{fb end}}

[[Category:European national football teams]]
[[Category:Football in Germany]]
[[Category:FIFA World Cup-winning countries|Germany]]

{{Link FA|sv}}

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2006-08-11T21:54:37Z

1892 Fitch Dude: /* Survey */

2006-07-21T00:40:46Z

1892 Fitch Dude: /* Career */

'''Kevin-Prince Boateng''' (Born [[March 6th]] [[1987]] in [[Berlin]]) is a [[German]] [[football player]].

== Career ==
He currently plays for [[Hertha BSC Berlin]]. The midfield player played several times for the German U16 and U19 teams. He was offered to play in [[Ghana national football team|Ghana's team]] for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]], but declined.

== Personal Life ==
Boateng has a [[German]] [[mother]] and has a [[Ghanaian]] [[father]]. Boateng's uncle played for the national team of Ghana. His grandfather is a cousin of [[Helmut Rahn]], one of the players of the German team in thier World Cup winning squad of 1954. Kevin Prince Boateng has two brothers: Jerome and George Boateng. Both are soccer players, Jerome Boateng (the youngest of the three) plays with the amateurs of [[Hertha BSC Berlin]].

== External links ==
* '''(In German)''' [http://www.herthabsc.de/index.php?id=1496 Brief interview and portrait on the site of Hertha BSC Berlin]

[[de:Kevin-Prince Boateng]]