Mehmet Scholl severely criticizes DFB forward Gomez.

Scholl criticizes Gomez severely during a DFB match.

The UEFA Euro 2024 tournament is on its way, and we're in for another round of crazy moments and unforgettable memories. But will DFB striker Mario Gomez cherish the hard words from former player Mehmet Scholl at the 2012 UEFA Euro? Probably not.

It was an absolute blast! The incredible Icelanders amazed everyone in the 2016 UEFA Euro. With a population of just over 300,000, they sent 10,000 citizens to France, and even managed to field a team of 23 players. And this was incredible given that 708 men were needed for whaling and 780 permanent volcano observers were unavailable. Iceland's co-trainer at the time, Heimir Hallgrimsson, said after a match: "If one of our players gets a yellow card, he simply swaps shirts with another. Nobody knows us anyway."

However, this can't be said for the now-Champions League winner, Jude Bellingham. Especially since he was already a rising star at the previous European Championship, shining brightly in the spotlight.

For instance, during England's 1-0 win against Croatia on June 13, 2021, he broke the record as the youngest player in the history of the UEFA Euro with his substitution at the 82nd minute at the age of 17 years and 349 days. However, this record was soon broken by a young Pole who came on against Spain just six days later. Kacper Kozłowski was 17 years and 246 days old when he was substituted in the 55th minute. The former young star is sadly not in the current Polish squad for the UEFA Euro.

As a side note, who can forget the dramatic end of the tournament at Wembley Stadium in London? The decision had to be made in a penalty shootout. Another heartbreaking moment for England - and especially for the England team manager, Gareth Southgate. "The Guardian" wrote the day after the final: "For Gareth Southgate, it had to be the penalties. The personal story of England's manager was shaped by his decisive miss against Germany back then in this stadium in the semi-finals of this competition. Now, after 120 nerve-wracking minutes of England's first major final since the 1966 World Cup victory, it was another nerve-wracking test." And, in the end, Italy became the champions, leaving Southgate and England disappointed after yet another penalty shootout defeat.

Like in 1996, when they were eliminated after a missed penalty kick against Germany in the semi-finals. During that time, the song "Football's Coming Home" by the Lightning Seeds was composed specifically for the UEFA Euro in England, creating a fantastic musical atmosphere for the tournament.

But here's something not many people know: the song was also re-recorded for the 1998 World Cup. In the music video for the song, almost all German players have a shirt with the name "Kuntz" on it. The name of the German national player has a somewhat naughty meaning in English, which is something Stefan Kuntz himself was aware of. However, he never told his mother about it. "I've never told my mother about it, but since she doesn't use the internet, she'll probably never find out!"

The UEFA Euro 2008 was a pleasant experience for Germany, with the exception of an unforgettable incident during the last group stage match against Austria. Both coaches, Josef Hickersberger and Joachim Löw, were ordered to leave the bench before half-time after heated discussions with the fourth referee. Löw explained, "I thought he had a parrot with him. He was constantly next to me and said: Go back, go back, go back. I just wanted to do my job in the coaching zone. I didn't insult the fourth official in any way."

After a suspension against Portugal, the national coach then took his usual place on the bench for the semi-final against Turkey. But the viewers of the live broadcast on ZDF didn't see him there the entire time. Surprisingly, the transmission from Vienna was interrupted during a crucial moment. Angry reactions at public viewings and confusion at the broadcaster. Commentator Béla Réthy, however, knew what had happened instantly: "These crazy moments are what make you famous overnight."

Initially, a severe storm was blamed, but later it was revealed that a cable was pulled incorrectly. Irrelevant. As soon as the picture was back, the goals started falling - and it turned into an unforgettable evening, with more than just the quirky side stories.

There's also a connection to Béla Réthy in the 2010 World Cup. Due to heavy rain, the match between France and Ukraine was interrupted. He reacted to the external circumstances as he always did, very grumpily: "We'll show them the lightning table." [#eu] [ UEFA Euro] [ Mario Gomez] [ Mehmet Scholl] [ Iceland] [ Jude Bellingham] [ Gareth Southgate] [ Football's Coming Home] [ Stefan Kuntz] [ Josef Hickersberger] [ Joachim Löw] [ Fourth Referee] [ Cable] [ Bela Réthy] [ England] [ England's Final] [ Italy] [ 1996 World Cup] [ Song] [ 1998 World Cup] [ Penalty Shootout] [ Fourth Official] [ Josef Hickersberger] [ Joachim Löw] [ Bizarre Side Stories] [ Dramatic End] [ Goals]

In 2012's European Championship, there was a significant controversy from a German standpoint. While taking a break during the initial match between Germany and Portugal, TV expert Mehmet Scholl scolded German team's striker Mario Gomez for what he perceived as unenthusiastic running. Scholl expressed his concern about Gomez possibly getting injured and needing to be substituted.

Even though Gomez scored the winning goal in the second half, Scholl's comments resonated, especially when teammate Bastian Schweinsteiger, after Germany's match against the Netherlands and another Gomez goal, made a lighthearted comment about him. Schweinsteiger remarked, "I was stunned by Mario! I'd never seen him handle the ball like that before. If he keeps it up, we might need to be wary of his going to Brazil."

Years later, Mehmet Scholl offered Mario Gomez a personal apology for those harsh words. "I harmed a player with that comment," he said. "I offer my apologies. Mario's career is too significant to be diminished by that statement."