Of Christof Kneer and Philipp Selldorf, Herzogenaurach
25 years ago Germany won the European Championship for the last time. The slogan “The star is the team”, coined by coach Berti Vogts, stood above the triumph. A great motto, but unfortunately it wasn’t true. The star was Matthias Sammer. A comparison of the 1996 and 2021 squads is difficult given the different conditions, but that doesn’t bother us. The 2021 roster may be superior because of advanced athletic development; Whether it can be as successful as it was in 1996 remains to be seen. Based on the battle name of the leader Sammer (“head of fire”), the SZ awards this provisional seal of approval to the individual players. A comparison.
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