Tracing the journey of a footballing nation
Let me start with an honest confession that I am not the one who follows
league football that happens across the globe. My footballing sense and love
come from some amount of Euro, little amount of Copa America and a major amount
of the World Cup. Playing for a nation is a matter of pride and this “Beautiful
Game” often becomes an ambassador of a certain nation. The two aspects are definitely interconnected.
Football, being a team-game, have produced many teams over the years. These teams have been created, dismantled, re-created and re-destroyed. Who can argue to the fact that all the World Cup winning teams of the last five or six decades have been "teams". We have known of "The Brazilian Team", the "Argentine Team", the "Italian Team", the "French Team" and, of course, the "The German Team"!
A look at the life of the Kaiser!
To fully describe the great
Klinsmann would probably take a whole book! Nevertheless, in short, he was
a gift to the world of strikers. He could score even when there was a slim
chance. His winning score against the Czech Republic in Euro 96 is still fondly
remembered. In a one to one situation with the goalkeeper, he went for in-step
instead of out-step. It was a thrilling goal. The best thing about Klinsmann
was his ability to create an opportunity when no one expected it. He was most of
the time in the game - either heading or striking with his foot.
Some amazing goals of Klinsmann
Years passed, talent too passed on from one player to another. In came Oliver Kahn, Oliver Neuville and a bunch of young and fresh players. Although they did not particularly storm into the finals of the 2002 edition of the World Cup, their progress was steady. They had become Germany by now. They had, by now, found characters like the past West German greats.
Football, being a team-game, have produced many teams over the years. These teams have been created, dismantled, re-created and re-destroyed. Who can argue to the fact that all the World Cup winning teams of the last five or six decades have been "teams". We have known of "The Brazilian Team", the "Argentine Team", the "Italian Team", the "French Team" and, of course, the "The German Team"!
Before playing as Germany in the international
arena, West Germany burst their way into the scene with their grit,
determination, discipline, hard-work and skill. It is hard to pinpoint the start
of the amazing journey of the West German football team. Perhaps a good start would be Franz Beckenbauer.
The "Kaiser", or the King of the pitch, won two championships - one as captain and one as coach. He was beautiful, swift, lethal and skillful who once scored directly
from a corner kick! In a game where strikers are more remembered than
midfielders or defenders, he was different. He broke all stereotypes by running
up and down the pitch. He could dribble and run his way into the penalty box;
he could sprint his way back to the other penalty box and stop the opponent
from surging ahead. He was one of the first "wingers" of the modern
game!
A look at the life of the Kaiser!
The baton was carried
forward by Lothar Matthäus. Matthäus characterized mid-field play with his
unique passing skills and clean tackles. His long passes were always accurate,
and his short passes were as clean as a whistle. His physique offered a big challenge
to almost all known center-forward players of his time. He would block the likes of
Diego Maradona, Van Basten at ease. He had, to his credit, a flying striker in
the form of Juergen Klinsmann. He had a master defender in the form of Andreas
Brehme. Matthäus captained a balanced and legendary team that went on to win
the memorable Italia 90. Kaiser was the coach then.
Some amazing goals of Klinsmann
Years passed, talent too passed on from one player to another. In came Oliver Kahn, Oliver Neuville and a bunch of young and fresh players. Although they did not particularly storm into the finals of the 2002 edition of the World Cup, their progress was steady. They had become Germany by now. They had, by now, found characters like the past West German greats.
Oliver Neuville arrived to take care of the wing as did Matthäus. Someone
by the name Miroslav Klose made himself available in front of the opponent's
goal as did Klinsmann. The same Miroslav Klose continued till 2014 and
kept coordinating with Ozil and Muller to give the Germans another title. In short, one can say - a nation that respects football can produce such
talents year after year. Also, the beautiful game that infuses brilliance
inside a nation can also contribute in producing such talents tournament after
tournament!
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