And I want to thank you for giving me the
best day of my life,
ohh, just to be with you is having
the best day of my life.
(Dido's Thank You)
Just on Monday, there was a year-end press conference. From the German Football Federation (DFB), you silly. A year in review of Germany's national team. Ahh...memories! Darn, I'm getting all emotional thinking of it. As I was reading those reports from Yahoo World Soccer out of the press conference, I just can't seem to wipe the grin off my face. From now on, no one can say the Germans can't play good football. From now on, no football fans can say that they never caught up with the World Cup mania in June this year...or at least for me. From now on, I don't see German football the same way again.
But life was never meant to be rosy, isn't it? What a difference a year makes!
Okay. So we all knew Germany is going to be the host for the 18th World Cup. But are we prepared for a show of a lifetime? We didn't at first. Talk about the country and what often come out? Cars (yes, they produce great cars like BMW and Audi and Porsche that only the very rich here can afford), beer (like duh, the Oktoberfest though it's held in September), sausages (yummy!), composers (did you know that Ludwig van Beethoven is a German and came from Bonn?), thinkers, scientists (Albert Einstein was actually a German Jew) and so on. Okay, the most infamous one...Nazi era. Touchy. How about the Berlin Wall. Uh-oh. Throw in dour, solemn, boring...you get the idea of what people from the outside world often think of Germans. I was once kind of part of the crowd...ouch!
We laughed (I can kind of sensed the tone from the papers' reaction then) at the country when it published a book for the journalists who are coming to report on the World Cup from Germany. It's all about why ordinary Germans should feel proud of themselves. We went cynical later on at their intentions. I later on understand there was an image overhaul in order for the foreigners who may visiting the country during the World Cup to have a good impression of Germany.
The papers here then start to hype up (who else?) England's chances and saying that it's their year. The best the England team has to offer as yet. I went 'uh huh'. Yes, adding in the cynical part. I read about Germany's chances and I wondered for a moment - can they do it. Because I read about the friendly match loss to Italy when the papers started the countdown to the World Cup with 100 days left. And that was all I remembered about reading the German squad until a series of teams whom ST thinks will make an impact (England, Germany, Holland and Brazil are among the ones featured) in the World Cup. But even then, I was guilty of not really reading into detail about Germany's case. Yes, England, England, England. It's the papers' fault. Or not really.
Then the day came. Woohoo. Finally some footie action. Okay, I watched the opening ceremony. Call me silly but I watched these kind of things. It's meant to showcase to the viewing audience what the country/city is about. Then I missed watching the opening match. Damn it! Because the final score between Germany and Costa Rica: 4-2. Yes, to Germany. Holy smokes! Goal fest! And they actually scored very early first! It eventually went down to history for quite a number of goals scored on an opening match as in the past, everyone can be conservative.
But somehow, conservative is not in Germany national team's dictionary. They love to attack. Attacking football. Eh hello? Germans playing attacking football? Where is the Germany we once knew? Now this got the once-sceptical journalists sit up and take notice. Everyone wants to know how they do it. And it all boils down to just one man and his own set of ideals - (former) national coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Then everyone remembers now. One-time player of the winning West Germany side in 1990 World Cup and a one-time striker too. Aha!
But that's not all. His goal is to head to the final in Berlin. But his methods were once upon a time, questionable. Why? Born as a German, but based in the States. In the sunny state of California, to be exact. Travelling problems before the World Cup were always a common thing which resulted in...you know, conflicts. I will just be politically correct over here.
Back to the World Cup. So we welcomed the debutants - Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Ukraine and Sebia & Montenegro (ironically, the country was separated into two even before the World Cup started and so it's the first and last time). And we welcomed back the Socceroos after 32 years! Interestingly back then, it was in the then-West Germany of 1974 Australia first appeared but scoring nothing. This time, the Socceroos (with some or most of the squad members ply their trade in European football) scored more than just a goal. They even went to the second round and were cruelly (I say that given it was questionable penalty kick given to Italy) kicked out by eventual champions Italy. The Socceroos (with their coach being the Dutch master Guus Hiddink) could had almost knocked down the Azzuri! Ouch. Ghana became the pride of the African continent by advancing to the second round and meeting Brazil there. Ukraine made history after their penalty shootout against the Swiss in the second round (that match became the first one in knockout stages to be decided by that) and met Italy in the quarter-finals. And to think the Ukraine coach had said after the match against the Swiss that he was in the locker room when the shootouts happened as he could not bear to watch it. It's just cruel, penalty shootouts.
That was also the same reason why Germany edged past old rivals Argentina (they last met each other in the final of the 1990 World Cup in Italy) in the quarter-finals (just don't talk about what happened after that match because it was not so nice for the both sides). And also the same reason why England lost to Portugal in the quarter-finals. Damn, when will England learn to buck up on penalties and follow the Germans' awesome record? You don't need to bring up the war in order to give an excuse.
How about the Les Bleus? France, I mean. Everyone from the start (even me) had just about written them off, given the majority on the squad were from the class of the 1998-winning side. We can practically spell retirement. But just like great French wines, it taste better with time. France even did a repeat of the 1998 final - they beat Brazil in the quarter-finals in Germany. France '98 all over again! I thought I almost screamed when the Les Bleus advanced given I changed my opinion of them. The Spanish side were very underrated, but then the squad is quite young in terms of average age. Too bad they were knocked out early. South Korea who took the world by surprise four years back by being third on home soil (interestingly enough, the Germans also reached till there four years later on home soil even), unfortunately could not advance to the second round. They were among my sentimental choices.
Then the final four were 'chosen'. Germany, Italy, France and...Portugal. Hang on, I say Portugal? Yes. Since the World Cup of England 1966, they never reached that far in an international competition like this scale. They were slated to meet the Les Bleus, while Germany ended up with another old rival whom they just cannot seemed to beat most of the time - Italy. And what went on as a promising match (as the ordinary Germans are starting to dream of a World Cup final, on home ground after 1974)...that is until the dying minutes of the added extra time. Enough to silence any Germany fan, like me. The newly-converted Germany fan even. Don't even talk about penalties to the Azzuri, because they had a bad record (read: like England) on that. On a better note, France beat Portugal and the former are on their way to Berlin for a showdown with Italy. Portgual can console themselves for going this far.
Then, the 3rd/4th playoff. The papers here were practically almost laughing about it, I can sensed it. A joke, they must be thinking as they penned their reports. Who cares who is third and fourth years from now? Okay, okay. But look at whom we are talking about here now. One last hurrah for the host nation at least. And it did happened, just as what we had expected. The last time I knew I will be seeing my newly-favourite national team before Euro qualifiers kicked in. My father even said that this is how football should be played. No-frills entertainment (I added that in). Germany now feel good about themselves.
How about the final in Berlin? Sigh. It was supposed to be Zidane's (the French captain who had been greatly admired and respected everywhere) last match before retirement as he said before the World Cup that it will be his last one. But it became nasty on whatever's going on at the pitch and alas, he was sent off. No Zidane means almost to no hope of taking the trophy and bringing back to Paris. Because the man is a penalty-kick expert. Ironically, he was the one who scored the goal which was as a result of a penatly-kick. The match went into extra-time, then that penalty shootouts. I don't even want to watch it half the time actually. Eventually, it was...Italy. They overcame the footballing scandal which had been marring back in their country and pushed forward. Winning over adversaries. But then, I don't think I see it that way. The scandal was made known even before the trip to Germany. It hit a new low for me when Italy was in the final, and won.
So what happened to Germany then? The national squad is third and everyone still love Jurgen Klinsmann and his team for what they had done, but mostly onto the man whom many in his native country once hated for given of the American-style methods he brought into the squad. It gave Germany a new reason to feel good about themselves. They can actually party and can have fun, without feeling all the guilt of the past. Or as what the man himself said in a video conference much later on, Germany 'rediscovered' itself during the World Cup.
Yes Klinsi (haha, the nickname everyone gave to him), we all know that. We just hope you will come back soon. You said so yourself in that video conference. We had seen that the squad you had developed since you took over in 2004 (and left after the World Cup ended), and it's still showing signs of what you had imparted. You don't want to take the USA coaching job, we know that too.
And partially thanks to you, the world and the journalists who were reporting in the country during the World Cup had seen a new Germany. Thanks for the memories! Or in German, you call it...danke.
Author's note: Danke means 'thank you' in German. Imagine I learned a new German word immediately after the World Cup ended. Apart from what I knew in my history textbook when I was studying about Germany's past sensitive histories, that is. For once, past history lessons became part of my sentimental reasons as to why I love the German national squad though the style of playing plays a role too. The World Cup even saw dubious refereeing and age-old issue of diving and the defensive tactics most teams use. And don't get me started on the WAGs even. Wifes and girlfriends of the English national team who made a name of themselves during the World Cup and became a laughing topic later. But aside that, everything was fine and dandy and fairytale-like in Germany during this great summer of football love. I don't know when such things can happen again, and so I have to savour once and for all before the new year roll along.
