Germany defeated England at Wembley in 1972

An the conversation in the changing room, Günter Netzer still remembers it “as if it were yesterday”. He said to Franz Beckenbauer: “If we get fewer than five, that would be a great result for us.” The captain only murmured resignedly: “Yes, my.” Their clubs “had immense problems against English teams,” he recalled 77-year-old Netzer. “Moreover, Wolfgang Overath was injured. Otherwise I wouldn’t have played at all.”

But then the congenial strategists from Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayern Munich staged a “swing rhythm”, as national coach Helmut Schön enthused, which led to the first victory of a German national team in the mother country of football at Wembley Stadium. Germany won 3-1 in London with goals from Uli Hoeneß (26′), Netzer (85’/penalty) and Gerd Müller (88′) after Francis Lee equalized to make it 1-1 (77′). The date of the historic triumph: fifty years ago on April 29, 1972.

After this first leg in the quarter-finals of the European Championship (second leg 0-0 in Berlin), there has never been a national team with greater self-confidence, claims the long-standing ARD expert Netzer. “We went into the finals in Belgium with absolute certainty that nothing could happen to us.”

The confirmation in June: 2-1 in the semifinals in Antwerp against the hosts, 3-0 in the final in Brussels against the Soviet Union. The national coach waived specifications for his two protagonists at a team meeting. “Schön developed the keen instinct to give us all the freedom we need,” says Netzer. “As he drew his tactics on the board, he suddenly turned around and said, ‘Oh, that’s all superfluous – just do whatever you want.’

The confusing interplay between Beckenbauer and Netzer was unique. The English with the world champion trio from West Ham United, Bobby Moore, Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, were surprised. If Netzer dropped back and pulled his English special guard with him, Beckenbauer had the space for his offensive virtuosity up front. “I supported Günter,” remembers the 76-year-old Beckenbauer. “Because in midfield one could not create dominance alone against the strong Englishman.” As soon as the libero had taken his position again, Netzer started his rousing solo runs.

The best national team in history?

Karl Heinz Bohrer, previously head of the arts section and at the time London correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung*, wrote enthusiastically: “Netzer, who suddenly pushed forward from the depths of the room, had ‘thrill’. ‘Thrill’ is the event, the unexpected manoeuvre, the transformation of geometry into energy, the maddening explosion of happiness in the penalty area, ‘thrill’ is the ultimate execution, the beginning and the end. ‘Thrill’ is Wembley.” Bohrer “translated his “long runs from back to front” into this great language,” says Netzer. Including the 1966 World Cup final (2-4 after extra time), Germany had not won any of their twelve international matches against England since 1908.

However, revenge for the final defeat by the controversial “Wembley goal” had already been achieved in the quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup in Mexico with a 3-2 victory after extra time. The outstanding European champion of 1972 – with Maier, Höttges, Breitner, Schwarzenbeck, Beckenbauer, Wimmer, Heynckes, Hoeneß, Müller, Netzer, Erwin Kremers in the final (Grabowski and Held played instead of Heynckes and Erwin Kremers in the 3-1 win at Wembley) – also became world champion in 1974 in his own country. Admittedly not nearly as lively and sovereign.

“The team played completely differently,” Netzer describes the change in style. “I myself was no longer on the pitch, although I have to acknowledge that Wolfgang Overath was the better national player in my position.” Nevertheless: For some historians and every nostalgic, 1972 played thanks to the “Ramba-Zamba” (a neologism of the “Bild”) -Zeitung) by Franz Beckenbauer and Günter Netzer was probably the strongest German national team in its history.