Opinion
July 11, 2010
Well done! We're proud of you! That's what we want to say to our national team. Third place in the World Cup is a well-deserved reward for their fantastic performance this time round.
They've created unforgettable moments. In years to come we'll still be saying: do you remember the round of sixteen match against England in South Africa 2010? That disallowed goal for the English, and the subsequent 4-1 thrashing by our team.
Do you remember the quarterfinal against Argentina? When Thomas Mueller, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Oezil pulverized the "Gauchos'" defense and sent the pre-match favourites packing with a resounding 4-0 victory?
From nobodies to stars
Let's be honest, who really thought that this young team would create such memorable highlights? The German team is now being celebrated across the world for their inspirational offensive football.
Talented players, who not so long ago were playing for the German Football Association's junior team, whom no-one had even heard of abroad, hammered the world's best into disarray.
International sports reporters became familiar with how to pronounce the names of the German players – and were full of respect for Germany's new football flair. It wasn't only fans at home who were upset when the team met their match in the semi finals against Spain.
Football fans from across the world reported that they were sorry that this amazing German side hadn't made it into the final.
Time to perfect their game
We don't need to grieve for what could have been. This team belongs to the future. Thomas Mueller, the biggest discovery of this World Cup, is 20 years old, Mesut Oezil is 21, Sami Khedira, 23. And even leading players like Bastian Schweinsteiger or the Captain, Philipp Lahm, are only in their mid twenties.
They can play together for a few more years yet, and have time to perfect their game further. And other talents are following on behind. The seeds sown by the German Football Association in training young players are bearing fruit.
Above all, the pool of young players, trained to first-class standards, technically and tactically, promises a golden future for German football.
National team coach, Joachim Loew, should be praised for his part in this success story, in which he has personally played a major hand. He must be eager to carry on as well. In this instance, the German Football Association would be well-advised to hold onto him. They should follow the motto: Never change a winning team! Even if it never quite hit the jackpot.
Author: Stefan Nestler (ji)
Editor: Sonia Phalnikar