In the late 19th century, as people in France and the rest of the world continued to feel the effects of the French Revolution, the brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière caused a sensation in Lyon with a sensational invention. They created a device that made moving images possible – and with it a new level of storytelling. They ultimately made more than 2,400 films with this cinematograph. And anyone who was in the house in Lyon this weekend, where a museum now documents their love of storytelling, could assume that they would have found the story that later took place in the football stadium in the east of the city quite good.
It was Saturday evening when the referee whistled for the French-German test match and Toni Kroos, the ball artist who was wearing the jersey of the German national football team for the first time since the summer of 2021, touched the ball for the first time. With this first touch of the ball he suddenly passed straight – not across! – into the French half of the field, into which Florian Wirtz had already penetrated. And because he shot the ball at the goal and the ball fluttered into the goal between the seventh and eighth seconds of the game, it was already apparent that it would be a good story for German football that evening.
France can’t pay the rent
The first ball contact of the evening was followed by another 142 for the ball artist. And Toni Kroos then demonstrated with everyone why it was a good idea that Julian Nagelsmann, the national coach, brought him back into the national team almost three months before the first game of the European Championship in Germany.
It is important how Kroos plays to his teammates (almost always at the right pace, almost always at the right angle!). But it is at least as important – that was a lesson from Lyon – that they can always play to him. If football were Monopoly, Kroos would be the “get out of jail free” card for his teammates. And for his opponents, the Schlossallee – with a hotel.
On Saturday evening the French, the big favorites for the European Championship, came to the German Schlossallee. And this time they couldn’t pay the rent. The consequence: A 2-0 win for Germany that looked so confident that, given the European Championship prospects, you could almost think that… stop!
“Incredible, to be honest”
No, this story shouldn’t be about the big picture, but rather about how impressive it is that a single player can control the rhythm of an entire game. It could be said that evening: Toni Kroos was for the German national football team what the cinematographer was for Auguste and Louis Lumière – because he makes a new level possible.
When Julian Nagelsmann later stood in the small ZDF studio in the stadium and was asked about Kroos, he replied: “Incredible, to be honest.” He then said that Kroos was the “connection player” he imagined. And then he said that he was “very stable defensively”. That was an assessment that one wanted to reflexively contradict in view of Kroos’ career – but, to be honest, one could not contradict that evening.
As much as you would like to continue talking about Kroos, you have to at least talk briefly about Nagelsmann – because a good idea first has to be implemented well.
Reform instead of revolution
It was not the results of a revolution, but of a reform that became visible that evening. It started with Kroos, but then continued elsewhere. With the decision to position Joshua Kimmich as right-back (where he defended himself well against the super sprinter Kylian Mbappé, even if he sometimes sprinted past him, but well, who can’t he do that against?).
