How the 2006 FIFA World Cup changed Germany forever

DW (English)

As the reunited Germany's first major international event, the 2006 World Cup helped forge a new national identity. What was it that made the football tournament so special?

Transcript

00:00What do you think of when you think of the 2006 World Cup?

00:04One million people on the streets and we were such a great host.

00:08Philipp Lahm's unlikely opener?

00:19Cannavaro's Italy on top of the world?

00:22Ronaldo's role in Rooney's red card?

00:25The first moments of Lionel Messi's World Cup journey

00:28or the infamous last moments of Zinedine Zidane's?

00:32Ask someone that question here in the host country

00:35and you're likely to hear an answer that has little to do with the football.

00:45The so-called summer fairytale was nothing less than a milestone in post-war German history.

00:51What was it that made the tournament so special?

00:53And are we in for another new chapter in 2024?

00:59The story of the Sommermärschen begins in a nation with a reflexive aversion to patriotism.

01:04It's part of the legacy of the country's Nazi past

01:07that flag-waving and anthem-singing were long taboo in post-war Germany,

01:12including in the context of sporting events.

01:14This sentiment survived the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of the country,

01:19when many prominent German figures were worried about a potential resurgence of nationalism.

01:44The players said in their first moment of euphoria,

01:46if the players from East Germany join us now, we'll be unbeatable for years.

01:50And that didn't come true in football.

01:53As far as the growth of East and West fans is concerned, it worked,

01:57but it didn't lead to the great wave of nationalism or chauvinism

02:01that some people predicted.

02:0416 years later, the World Cup would be an unexpected turning point

02:08in the history of the reunited Federal Republic.

02:11In the sizzling summer sunshine, and of course helped by the home team's first-rate performances,

02:17the atmosphere within Germany quickly became one of unabated elation.

02:22In this special World Cup climate, a major cultural shift took place.

02:27Germany's inhibited relationship with its own national symbols underwent a transformation.

02:33I remember the opening game in Munich,

02:36and it was the first time that the stadium, the whole stadium, was singing the anthem,

02:40which before never happened.

03:05The previous time that a major football tournament had taken place in Germany,

03:09the 1988 Euros in the West,

03:12the competition was overshadowed by outbreaks of violence.

03:40The 2006 tournament's German-language motto was

03:43Die Welt zu Gast bei Freunden.

03:45The world comes to stay with friends.

03:48The summer fairytale also saw a sea change in the perception of Germany

03:52outside the country's borders.

04:09Nobody expected that in Germany it's sunny and that people are laughing.

04:29In the German popular memory, the footballing near-miss of 2006,

04:33when the hosts had their hearts broken in the semi-final,

04:37even competes with the team's World Cup triumph eight years later.

04:42Of course, we were all happy when Germany won the World Cup.

04:46But in retrospect, 2006, this euphoria, this atmosphere,

04:51this unity, as if the whole nation was behind you, behind this national team,

04:57that was simply much greater than winning the World Cup.

05:12The euphoria of the summer fairytale of 2006 is a feeling that people have

05:18and that many contemporary witnesses remember.

05:21It's a collective memory that historians like to invoke.

05:42A summer of shared euphoria is just what the doctor ordered.

06:03Now we have a bad mood in Germany, political-wise, economic-wise.

06:08Hopefully football can help to bring back fun and happiness.

06:39It's hard to imagine any tournament living up to the legacy of the 2006 World Cup.

06:44But then again, no one expected the summer fairytale in the first place.

06:49How do you think 2024 will be remembered in years to come?

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