Germany is preparing to face Spain today in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in a match that will start at 13:00 (Brasilia time) in Stuttgart. Almost 10 years ago, on 8 July 2014, the German team also had a momentous match: the World Cup semi-final against the host Brazil, which ended with a historic 7-1 win.
A decade separates both clashes, but there are three things in common: three players who played in Belo Horizonte in 2014 and who are still part of the squad that will seek to take advantage of the home field advantage to win the Euro.
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Manuel Neuer
The Bayern Munich goalkeeper was a starter in the famous semi-final against Brazil, although he did not have much work that afternoon. At that time he was 28 years old and was already considered one of the best in his position, along with other big names such as Petr Čech, Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas.
He has kept his place in the starting eleven at this European Championship, despite a less than friendly dispute with Marc-André ter Stegen. So far this tournament he has conceded two goals in four games: one in the opening 5-1 against Scotland and the other in the 1-1 draw against Switzerland that closed the group stage.
The most memorable #FIFAWorldCup match of all time? 😱#OTD in 2014, Germany emerged 7-1 victors over Brazil!
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 8, 2023
Toni Kroos
Germany’s mastermind was the star of the match against the Seleção. He set up a corner kick to open the scoring and then scored two goals, 69 seconds apart. A week after this match, his transfer to Real Madrid was made official.
The midfielder remains the linchpin of his national team a decade later at Euro 2024. A starter in all four matches played so far, the competition has a special spice, as it will be his last tournament before retiring from professional football.
Thomas muller
The Bayern Munich player was one of the great architects of Germany’s 2014 World Cup triumph. He scored 5 goals in the tournament, which put him second in the scoring charts behind James Rodríguez, and provided 3 assists.
In the semi-final against Brazil, he scored the equaliser and assisted André Schürrle for the seventh goal. At 34, he lost prominence in this Euro 2024 to the emergence of youngsters such as Jamal Musiala and only came on as a substitute for a few minutes in the debut against Scotland.
