Football facts: 7 things you must know about Germany
/)
No matter the tournament, the German football team is a force to be reckoned with: There’s always a lot of buzz surrounding the Deutsche Nationalmannschaft (German national team), so get your facts straight and read through our crash course on all things Fußball (football).
1. THE STARS
Mats Hummels – Position: Defender, Team: Bayern Munich
Toni Kroos – Position: Midfielder, Team: Real Madrid
Sami Khedira – Position: Midfielder, Team: Juventus Turin
Joshua Kimmich – Position: defense, Team: Bayern Munich
Jérôme Boateng – Position: defense, Team: Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer – Position: Goalkeeper, Team: Bayern Munich
2. “JOGI”, THE COACH WITH THE INCREDIBLE HAIR
Joachim Löw (aka “Jogi”) has been the coach of the German national team since 2006. He is famous for his classy outfits and incredible hair. Just google the man.
3. FOOTBALL VOCAB “AUF DEUTSCH”
There are some German football expressions you should absolutely know – especially if you’re watching the games with Germans:
Tor – Goal
Abseits – Offside
Mittelfeld – Midfield
Stürmer – Striker
Abwehr – Defense
Kapitän – Captain
Schiedsrichter – Referee
Elfmeterschießen – Penalty shoot-out (quite a mouthful, huh?)
Verlängerung – Extra time
Freistoß – Free kick
Ecke – Corner
4. PUBLIC VIEWINGS ARE A BIG DEAL
During big football events and important finals, every café, restaurant, and Biergarten in Germany puts up screens to show the game. Everyone, from kids to grandmas, comes together to watch and cheer. In Berlin and Munich, you’ll also find so-called fan miles at the Brandenburger Tor and on Leopoldstraße: There, up to a million people gather to watch the games together – all dressed in black, red and gold (the German colors)!
5. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CHANTS
“Ole, Ole, Ole, Super Deutschland, Ole” – This is the German version of the international chant “Ole, Ole, Ole, We Are The Champions, Ole.”
“Dschland, Dschland” – Means: “Germany, Germany” and as Deutschland is such a long word, we shorten it and just say “Dschland.”
“So sehen Sieger aus, shalalalala…“ – This chant is used when the team is winning. It means: “That’s what champions look like, shalalalala…”
“Einer geht noch, einer geht noch rein!“ – Used when the team is on a roll. It means: “One more goal is still possible!”
6. GERMANS LOVE THEIR FOOTBALL SONGS
Sportfreunde Stiller: ’54, ’74, ’90, 2010‘
Herbert Grönemeyer_:_ Zeit, dass sich was dreht
Xavier Naidoo: Dieser Weg (Fun fact: The German players were listening to this song during the World Cup 2006 before leaving the changing room, and that’s how and why it became a football song.)
Sasha: This is my time
Andreas Bourani: Auf uns (This was the official song of the German TV station ARD during the World Cup 2014.)
7. AND THEY CELEBRATE WITH BEER SHOWERS
In Germany, football victories are not celebrated with champagne: Instead, the players (and fans) shower everyone with beer, preferably from a huge mug.
Image by Photocapy, Flickr / Creative Commons