All you need to know about defending champions and four-time winners Germany for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Germany Factfile
- FIFA World Ranking: 1
- Sky Bet outright winner odds: 9/2
- Best Bet: Thomas Muller top Germany goalscorer 5/2
- World Cup appearances: 18
- Best World Cup finish: Champions x4 (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
- Nickname: Die Mannschaft (The Team)
Coach - Joachim Low: A short-priced favourite for best dressed coach in Russia, Low stepped up to the top job after assisting Jurgen Klinsmann in 2006 and went close in almost every tournament before winning in Brazil four years ago. Europe's longest-serving national manager was being head-hunted by a number of Europe's top club sides after his results as the 'Bundestrainer', but he quelled that speculation by signing an extension to 2022 in May.
Legend - Franz Beckenbauer: Too many to mention them all, but Der Kaiser, one of just two men to win the World Cup as a player and manager, has to be at the head of the list. He played 103 times for West Germany and in three World Cups – lifting the trophy as skipper in 1974.
Star man - Toni Kroos: Real Madrid string-puller Kroos does exactly the same for the national side. Often overlooked by headline-grabbing team-mates for club and country, Kroos sets the tempo and makes both teams tick.
Did you know? Our star man Kroos is the one and only footballer born in East Germany to win the World Cup.
Fun fact: As World Cup superpowers, Germany have played more World Cup matches than anybody else with 106 in total. They have scored the most goals (124) and conceded the most (121) in the tournament.
Qualifying: Germany had a perfect record in UEFA Group C, securing ten victories from as many games, scoring 43 goals and conceding just four. Thomas Muller and Sandro Wagner top scored for the Germans with five goals each in qualifying.
Group F fixtures: Mexico (4pm, June 17, Moscow), Sweden (7pm, June 23, Sochi), South Korea (3pm, June 27, Kazan)
Germany Squad
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Paris St-Germain)
Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin), Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea), Niklas Sule (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Paris St-Germain), Leon Goretska (Schalke), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich)
Strikers: Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)
Germany Profile
They made their first World Cup appearance in 1934, and Die Mannschaft are back for their 19th tournament in Russia 2018.
They are one of international football’s most decorated sides, having won the trophy on four separate occasions. They've got a 50 percent win record in World Cup finals having appeared in eight while they've reached the semi-finals an incredible 13 times in total.
Joachim Löw has enjoyed successful years since succeeding Jurgen Klinsmann in 2006, who he was assistant to previously.
Deutschland lifted the trophy in 2014, and followed that up with FIFA Confederations Cup success in 2017 and will be confident of defending their title in the summer.
Who to watch out for
Germany have a host of talented players within their ranks and they’ll be one of the most feared sides at the tournament. Kroos, as mentioned, is arguably the best though, with his ability in midfield the finest of any player from his generation.
When it comes to cult heroes, you are looking at Stuttgart forward Mario Gomez. He was called up to international friendlies in March, and if he features in Russia make sure you have your Gomez goal buttons at the ready.
It might also be worth keeping an eye on the performances of Timo Werner. The RB Leipzig forward has enjoyed a terrific domestic season, scoring 19 goals in all competitions, three of which came in the Champions League.
He’s been linked with moves to the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool in recent months, so we may see him in the Premier League following the conclusion of the tournament.
How did they qualify?
Germany reached Russia in the strongest possible fashion. They finished with a perfect ten wins, 11 points clear of Northern Ireland in second.
Thomas Muller and Sandro Wagner proved deadly in front of goal during the qualification stages with five goals each.
Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Julian Draxler and Werner all contributed a further three goals each, showing that the Germans have goals throughout their ranks.
A 1-0 defeat to Brazil in March inflicted Germany’s first loss in any game since they were knocked out by France in the semi-finals at Euro 2016.
What will I hear when they play?
The fans of Germany, much like at their domestic clubs, are passionate and loud. They are also expectant based on history and will be sure to create plenty of noise at the tournament.
In terms of the most common chant, it’s very simple and the tune of which will probably be stuck in your head during the tournament.
‘Olé, Olé, Olé Olé Olé, Super Deutschland, Super Deutschland, Super Deutschland Olé Olé...’
Alongside that, you’ll be able to hear the encouragement from the stands as they look to roar their team to victory.
‘Auf gehts Deutschland schiess ein Tor, Schiess ein Tor, Schiess ein Tor...’ is another popular one, it translates to ‘Come on Germany score a goal, score a goal, score a goal...’
Any interesting facts about Germany?
One of the most well-known countries present at the tournament also come with a number of interesting and peculiar facts.
They may be good at football, and that shows with the fact that there are more football fan clubs in Germany compared with any other country.
German is one of the most interesting languages around, and they also boast the longest word ever published.
‘Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft’
Curious what it means? It translates to the ‘Association for Subordinate Officials of the Head Office Management of the Danube Steamboat Electrical Services’ in English.
That’s not the only long word within the language, with the country dropping the use of ‘Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz’ back in 2013. That one referred to the "law for the delegation of monitoring beef labelling".
They both highlight the virtually unlimited compounding of nouns that is available in the German language.
Any famous football moments?
Well, as four-time world champions, it is not hard to say that Germany have had their fair share of famous footballing moments.
Following re-unification in 1990, Franz Beckenbauer stated that “a united Germany, adding all the talent from the East, will become unstoppable” and they had to wait until 1994 to play their first World Cup finals game as one country.
Step forward Klinsmann, who scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Bolivia to hand the Germans their first victory as one.
However, their most famous moment came in 1954. It was labelled ‘Das Wunder von Bern’ or the ‘miracle of Bern’ and saw West Germany come up against a Hungary side in the final who had hammered them 8-3 in the group stages.
Against all the odds, Germany prevailed as 3-2 winners against Hungary’s ‘Golden Team’ and it earned them their first World Cup triumph.
It’s regarded as one of the greatest World Cup finals and is fondly remembered in Germany. So much so that there was a film made about the final by director Sönke Wortmann in 2003. With millions watching, it is one of the country’s best-selling films.
