Kolkata: The forthcoming FIFA U17 World Cup is going to be a new challenge for German football as the World Champions of the senior level has been famous for promoting special youngsters in world football. The recent performance in the Confederations Cup has been a prime example of that.
For years now, the European team have blown away opponents on the pitch with their exciting and edge-of-the-seat attacking brand of football, which has not just earned them legions of admirers but also a glut of trophies. Besides the four FIFA World Cup titles and the three European Championships, Germany have also won six UEFA Youth Championships and an U-20 World Cup.
However, disproving Lineker’s quote are the U-17 team, who despite being three-time champions at the age group, have never won the U-17 World Cup. Their best finish was a third-place finish at the 2007 edition. A country known for producing technically proficient wonderkids, spurred by the conveyor belt that is the Bundesliga with unerring frequency never having won a coveted title at the U-17 age group must surely rankle.
The lack of silverware at the age group is even more glaring given that Germany’s national team is flush with players like Marco Reus, Mario Götze, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Muller, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lars Ricken, Mesut Ozil who have risen up from the junior ranks.
However, if their performance at the recent U-17 European Championship is anything to go by, this year the European outfit can finally do justice to their potential. Despite losing cruelly to Spain in the semi-final in a shootout, the young Germans pumped in 17 goals a tournament record.
Given the signs his team have shown at the European competition, U17 Germany coach Christian Wuck is confident his team have everything to break the World Cup hoodoo. “We have a very good offensive team. We have set a new goal-scoring record at the European championship. So we know that our team is strong and powerful. You never know, we can maybe get to the final and win it,” Wuck, who was in Mumbai for the World Cup draw, said on Friday after his team drew Iran, Guinea and Costa Rica in Group C.
“This is the most aggressive year I’ve ever seen in my career in the junior field. The team has also demonstrated this at the European Championship. We have set a goal record; and nevertheless, we conceded the fewest goals in the tournament alongside England. We owe this to our ‘keeper Luca Plogmann and to our offensive football as this 2000-born side has a lot of speed and an eye for a goal,” Wuck was quoted by saying Kicker after Germany’s exit from the European Championship.
He wasn’t wrong though. Over the years, Germany have produced a truckload of technically-gifted players who possess the ability to tear down even the best of wall-like defences. Wuck, who played 13 games for the German U-21 side and made more than 100 Bundesliga appearances for Nuremberg, Karlsruher SC and VfL Wolfsburg, believes that all the hardwork by the German Football Association (DFB) to promote youthful football will bear fruit for the U17 side too.