While the 1990 World Champions traditionally meet every five years to celebrate their triumph in Rome, it took the European Champions from Wembley a whopping 25 years to get together for the first time.
Every five years, the 1990 World Champions get together to socialise and reminisce about “back in Rome”. Franz Beckenbauer had ordered this reunion rhythm after the World Cup triumph, and to this day the vast majority of the members of the Italian delegation at that time still stick to it.
Vogts took the initiative
It took the 1996 European Championship heroes 25 years to get to their first “class reunion”, which was mainly due to the fact that simply nobody took the matter seriously. Until the then national coach Berti Vogts took the initiative and, together with captain Jürgen Klinsmann, created the conditions for the reunion. On Sunday and Monday, 15 of the 23 European Championship participants met at Europapark Rust to reminisce with the members of the former coaching staff in a festive atmosphere.
Möller: “It was a perfect night “
In addition to former national coach Joachim Löw and Philipp Lahm in his role as OC boss for the 2024 European Championship, Boris Becker also accepted the invitation. The tennis star was a regular guest in Germany’s European Championship quarters in 1996 before the semi-final and the final in London; due to a torn tendon in his wrist, he joined the bulging DFB lazaretto run by the joint medical officer Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt. He was even allowed to travel on the team bus to Wembley Stadium before the final, said Becker, “an incredible experience”. The only thing he remembers about the humid final night is that he woke up in the morning “in Andreas Möller’s arms”. Möller’s comment: “It was a perfect night. ”
Vogts: “For you it was the ass of the world “
Many anecdotes made the rounds on this convivial Monday evening, for example about the Mottram Hall on the outskirts of Manchester, chosen after a recommendation by Sir Alex Ferguson, where the DFB selection had played their group matches. Klinsmann’s demands for a hotel close to the city had been interpreted by Vogts – as he smugly revealed – in his own way: “For me as a coach it was in the middle of the city, for you it was the arse end of the world. ”
Klinsmann: “These blows to the neck have left their mark on us “
This rocky road to the European Championship title was marked by many setbacks, especially serious injuries. For Jürgen Kohler, the tournament ended prematurely in the opening match against the Czech Republic due to a torn inner ligament, Fredi Bobic dislocated his shoulder in the tough quarter-final against Croatia, and Steffen Freund suffered a torn cruciate ligament in the semi-final against England. In addition, Stefan Reuter and Andreas Möller were suspended for the final, which would no longer be possible nowadays. “These setbacks have left their mark on us. We had experienced so many problems and always somehow found a solution,” Klinsmann said during his speech at the gala dinner in the Ballroom Berlin of the Europa Park. And he judged: “It was the European Championship of camaraderie, brutal will and the team behind the team. ”
Klinsmann also owed his participation in the final to this, in record time he was on the pitch in the final after suffering a torn muscle fibre in his calf against Croatia. Müller-Wohlfahrt said that the miracle healing was due to the earth that had been flown in from Croatia, and the day-and-night care provided by the physio team did the rest. At dusk, Klinsmann was secretly taken to London’s Regent Park to test the strain during light running training. It was only shortly before the kick-off of the final match that it was clear: Klinsmann could play.
Bierhoff’s substitution had not been understood by anyone
Klinsmann played in the final, but the main role in the 2-1 win over the Czech Republic was played by Oliver Bierhoff. Klinsmann described the moment of substitution in retrospect as follows: “At the end, the boss had the brilliant idea that he substituted Oliver Bierhoff, which we all didn’t understand.” Not even Vogts’ assistant Rainer Bonhof, whom the national coach had to urge to implement the instruction.
Klinsmann: “We have to make the class meeting the rule “
Not present in Rust from the European Championship squad were Thomas Strunz, Dieter Eilts, Christian Ziege, Mario Basler, René Schneider, Mehmet Scholl, Oliver Kahn and the new Turkish national coach Stefan Kuntz. Maybe they’ll be at the next reunion, which shouldn’t be 25 years from now. “We have to make the reunion a rule,” demanded Klinsmann, who flew in from California, “at least every five years.
