The DFB has announced details of the farewell for Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gündogan and Thomas Müller, who have resigned, next Monday. However, one of the quartet will not be there at all.
As the DFB announced on Saturday afternoon, Neuer, Kroos, Gündogan and Müller will be bid farewell before the national anthems at the Nations League classic against the Netherlands at the Allianz Arena next Monday. “The whole package of the Monday game will certainly be very exciting and also emotional,” said national coach Julian Nagelsmann.
However, only Gündogan, Neuer and Müller will be present at the tribute. Kroos, the only one of the quartet not only to end his career with the national team but also his active professional career after the home European Championships, will not travel to Munich. He has informed the DFB that he has commitments at his youth academy in Madrid on Monday evening.
Kroos had originally declared his DFB career to be over after the 2021 European Championship, but returned in the spring to play the European Championship in his own country. Shortly after, he announced that he would end his career after the tournament. For Neuer, Gündogan and Müller, the decision was only made after the tournament. With the retirements of Neuer, Kroos and Müller, no members of the 2014 World Cup winning team remain in the German national team.
Even before the four players are sent off, other long-standing members of the support staff will be bid farewell during the warm-up: team psychologist Hand-Dieter Hermann, physiotherapist Wolfgang Bunz, team manager Thomas Beheshti, TV expert Uli Voigt and adidas employee Christian Staatz also left the team after the European Championship and will now be honored.
There will be an internal team celebration in the arena after the game. “Then it will be emotional again when we come together as a whole group and honor the achievements of the players, but also of the staff,” Nagelsmann is quoted as saying.