The History of German Football

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". 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".