Germany have a good claim to being the most celebrated football nation in the world. True, Brazil and Italy both have won more world cups with five and four respectively, but overall the Germans' record in the World Cup reads as finalists seven times and winner on three occasions. But, it is in the European Championship where Germans have reigned supreme.   

The Mannschaft have appeared in five European finals, and have won three. Their most prominent period of superiority was in the glorious 70’s into the 80’s when they appeared in an unprecedented three straight European Championship finals, winning all of them.  

But despite their success, there is checkered past and present. The Germans as a nation have only really participated in four tournaments, those of course being from 1992 onwards, as Germany was only reunified as a nation in 1990. In all the previous incarnations of the tournament, the German black, red and gold was waved by either the East or West Germans.  

Early years 

The first three tournaments, from 1960 to 1968, saw the East Germans knocked out in the latter stage of qualifying. The tournaments back then only featured four teams in the actual finals competition proper.   

The glorious 70s and 80s 

It was in this era that West Germany truly made their mark on the football world. In this period the Germans would claim two European Championships and one World Cup, featuring in six finals of major international tournaments in total. At the European Champonship in 1972 West Germany were represented by the legendary contingent from Bayern Munich, who subsequently dominated the European Cup in the coming years.

The Mannschaft in the '72 Euros featured such illustrious names as Beckenbauer, Bonhof, Brietner, Heynckes, Uli Hoeness, Maier, Muller, Netzer, Vogts who would all go one to become legends in the game as a player and later as coaches. The '72 tournament only featured four teams in the final stages in Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Russia and the host. The final would pit the free scoring Gerd Muller led Germans against a very powerful Russian squad who were also making quite the name for themselves, having being ever present in previous tournaments. The final saw Germany run out as 3-0 winners, with Gerd Muller grabbing two and finishing as the tournament's top scorer, with four in total.  

The 76 version again saw just four teams reach the final stages in Yugoslavia. The top scorer went by the familiar name of Muller, but it was Dietmar, as opposed to the legendary Gerd. Germany would go on to lose the final on penalties after a climatic 2-2 draw, after only equalizing in the 89^th minute. Uli Hoeness was the unlucky kicker, and when Mansy scored for Yugoslavia, Germany were forced to give up their title.  

Italy 1980 saw the tournament take on a more familiar group stage from which the semi-finalists would emerge. The 1980 Germany team contained some legends of the game. One such man, Karl Heinze Rummenigge (later to be crowned 1980 European player of the year) led the Germans to the final against Belgium, where two goals from Horst Hrubesch saw them reclaim the title. Germany’s 1980 squad was made up of Rummenigge, Ulli Stielike, Schumacher, Felix Magath, Hrubesch, Bonhof, Allos, Briegel and of course the emergence of a young sensations Lothar Matthaus, and the controversial Bernd Schuster. Klaus Allofs was the tournament's top scorer with three goals. 

The tournment in 1984 was held in France and was, by all accounts, Platini’s tournament, as he top scored with a resounding nine goals. Despite coming in as second favourites and reigning champions, in addition to making the previous World Cup's final, Germany fell at the group stage to a 90^th minute Maceda goal against the Spaniards, who would go on to lose to France in the final. 

West Germany hosted the 1988 tournament, and they were heavy favourites following yet another World Cup run that saw them through to the final, where they fell against Argentina. Coached by Franz Beckenbauer, the German squad boasted a powerful line up, most of which would go on to win Italia 90. The team was comprised of Lothar Matthaus, Littbarski, Brehme, Guido Buchwald, Ruid Voller and young guns Bodo Ilgner and Jurgen Klinsmann. However the dreams of title celebrations at home were not to be, as the Manschafft went out to a Marco Van Basten Goal in the 88^th minute in Hamburg. The Dutch would go on to win, with Van Basten finishing as top scorer. 

The new Germany

Germany enjoyed reunification as a nation in late 1990, and it was widely believed that the new-look Nationalelf would go on to conquer all, as a more powerful single entity. Euro 92 in Sweden had a controversial start, with CIS representing the recently disbanded USSR and Yugoslavia (as they were then known) being disqualified due to the civil war. Germany came into Euro 92 as world champions and were heavily favoured to take the tournament. again featuring such star names as Klinsmann, Brehme, Jurgen Kohler, Ilgner, Voller, Worns, Hassler, youngsters Stefan Effenberg, Andreas Moller, and the East German prodigy Matthais Sammer.

After negotiating a difficult group where they once again crashed to their now arch-enemies Holland, the Germans would go on to face the host Sweden in the semis, where they ran out 3-2 winners. In the final they were to face the tournaments surprise package and Yugoslavia’s last minute replacement, Denmark. Two goals from Jensen and then Vilfort got the better of the world champions, who had to settle for second place yet again.

Euro 96 was heralded as 'football coming home' as the host nation England celebrated their first hosting of the festival. The tournament now took on a different approach as they were two additional knock out stages to accommodate 16 teams, split into four groups. Euro 96 saw the emergence of Zidane, Suker, Poborsky, Djordaeff, Rui Costa and Pavel Nedved but it was the Germans now captained by Jurgen Kilinsmann who would go on to conquer.

Placed in the group of death, Germany topped the group ahead of the Czechs, Russia and Italy. Along the way they were ravaged by injury, but were still bravely led by the majestic Matthais Sammer who excelled in his role as sweeper (he would later be named European footballer of the year). Germany would knock out the host in the semis after a penalty shoot out and it took the first ever Golden Goal by second half substitute Oliver Bierhoff to win the trophy against the tournament's surprise package, the Czechs. Germany was represented by, Ziege, Sammer, Klinsmann, Bierhoff, Kohler, Moller, Reuter, Mehmet Scholl, Markus Babbel, and tournament revelation Dieter Eilts from Bremen.

The turn of the Century

It was in the 2000s where Germany would endure their darkest days in the tournaments. In both the Euro 2000 in Belgium and Holland and Euro 2004 in Portugal, Germany would go out in the group stage. In-fighting as well as under-confidence in coach Erich Ribbeck in the 2000 tournament, saw Germany score just one goal, off the boot of Mehmet Scholl against Romania. They then went on to lose to England before getting thumped on their way out 3-0 by the Figo-inspired Portugal. Despite having the likes of Oliver Kahn, Jens Jeremies, Dietmar Hamann and Michael Ballack in their squad, Germany were nothing short of embarrassing and were disgraced by their performances. Ribbeck eventually lost his job and many players were dropped, never to be heard from at international level again. The tournament's top scorer was one Patrick Kluivert who finished on five, as the French took the title. 

Euro 2004 saw the hosts Portugal come in as heavy favourites alongside Holland and France. The Germans, despite being runners-up in the World Cup two years earlier, were not considered to be amongst the continents elite. Coached by Rudi Voller, Germany was represented by World Cup finalists Kahn, Jeremies, Ballack, Frings, Schneider, Linke, Ziege and Klose but went out tamely after a 0-0 draw with Latvia, and then getting beaten by a Czech second eleven, 2-1. The Greeks went on to win the tournament coached ironically by German Otto Rehhagel, who was over-looked for the job of the manager of the Mannshaft years earlier.  

It should be noted that Germany have not won a European Championship game in the last two tournaments. Their last win coming in Euro 96, this year, however they are heavy favourites to continue where the Klinsmann-led Mannshaft left off after finishing third in the 2006 World Cup on home soil. Led now by Joachim Low with over 12 players expected to continue from that promising tournament, the Germans are recognized to be a huge threat this time around, only time will tell.

Alan Tardieu

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