The
history of German soccer is one of the longest around, but also one of
the harshest you could find. German soccer was shook up by political
factors surrounding the country, but still it emerged as one of the
greatest in Europe, to their credit.
Well, you know Germans, they're always quick to get back on their feet
and that particular bit in their history was proved over and over again
in their soccer as well. And speaking of the history of German soccer,
you can't avoid pointing out what England's legendary striker, Gary
Lineker said, when he defined soccer as "a game with 22 players at the
end of which the Germans win".
You simply cannot call yourself a real
soccer enthusiast if you don't own this series of DVDs.
The History of Soccer – The Beautiful Game has over 14 hours of
impressive footage, legendary interviews and a complete collection of
all goals from World Cup finals. Read
my
review…
History
of German Soccer
– Early Days Prior to an official national team being
formed, Germany had several amateur and semi-professional
clubs playing in regional championships.
Some selections from these
teams were made at the beginning of the 20th century, but not in the
form of an official national team and this showed, as most of the teams
they played against (usually similar English teams) translated into
absolute defeats for the Germans.
Even when a national team was formed in 1908, it was still lacking
coordination and professionalism compared to the English side and the
most conclusive example was the match between the two countries in
1909, which ended with a crushing 9-0 victory that
is still marked as the most severe one in the history of German soccer.
Despite these failures, things were looking up for German soccer.
History
of German Soccer – World Wars With the two World Wars centering on the
country, German soccer history has a large gap as most sportive
activities were suspended and athletes called in to join forces.
Between the wars, Germany managed to get together a reasonable team for
the 1934 World Cup and German soccer clubs were also starting
to regain. their strength, despite the poor economic
conditions in post-WWI Germany.
Even after the Second World War was over, German soccer still had to
suffer, as the country was divided between western and eastern forces,
clubs disbanded or were turned into political tools and the national
team was banned from the first post-war World Cup held in Brazil, in
1950.
After things settled down a bit, the history of German soccer
came back
on its tracks and Germany started becoming a power
in the game, especially through its national team.
The Wembley Goal After recovering from the aftermath of WWII, a
revitalized German soccer managed to form up a strong national team
that would reach the final in 1966's World Cup.
Meeting England, who were playing home on Wembley, the two teams made a
memorable match that ended 2-2 after 90 minutes (with the German team
equalizing in the 89th minute).
Eventually England won 4-2 after extra time, with two goals scored from
Geoff Hurst, of which the first one was extremely controversial, since
the ball shot by Hurst hit the bar, smacked down on the ground and then
came back into play. German press and fans contested this goal for a
long time and it became known as the "Wembley Goal".
Here is a
short video of the 1966 world cup final between Germany and England.
Judge for yourself if the Wembley goal is indeed a goal…
The Game of the Century In Mexico's 1970 World Cup, four years after
the unfortunate "Wembley Goal", German soccer history noted another
great World Cup run, with the team taking revenge on the England side
in the quarter-finals and ready to face Italy in the semis. The match
against Italy, which eventually ended with a 3-4 loss for the Germans
is one of soccer's greatest moments and it was called "The
Game of the Century" due to its dramaticism.
One particular event of the match will probably be marked with red
letters and bolded in any German soccer history book, namely Franz
Beckenbauer fracturing his clavicle, then heroically playing out the
rest of the match with one arm in a sling, as Germany had already used
its substitutions.
Even after the Second World War was over, German soccer still had to
suffer, as the country was divided between western and eastern forces,
clubs disbanded or were turned into political tools and the national
team was banned from the first post-war World Cup held in Brazil, in
1950.