The 2006 World Cup, the final major international football competition held on German territory, continues to have a lasting impact on the national consciousness of Germany as it gets ready to host Euro 2024.
The competition, now popularly known as the Summer Fairytale (Sommermaerchen), is seen as the occasion when a united Germany dispelled the ghosts of its troubled past and revealed a fresh, contemporary face to the world.
On the pitch, Jurgen Klinsmann’s German team defeated dreadful pre-tournament forecasts to reach the semifinals.
Germany ended up coming third and losing to eventual champions Italy in extra time, but their performance set the stage for a decade of domination that culminated in their World Cup victory in Brazil in 2014.
Off the field, the tournament changed not only the way the world saw Germany, but the manner in which Germany saw itself.
Philipp Lahm, a key player in 2006 who captained Germany to World Cup glory eight years later, told AFP: “In 2006 we were able to experience the whole nation standing behind the team and giving us energy.
“The celebrations are good. That people come here to Germany and celebrate a big festival together.”
