Unlike the A-Team: World Cup happiness thanks to the U17s
This national team is bringing back long-forgotten feelings of World Cup happiness. The U17 juniors want to make the final at the World Cup and continue to delight Germany.
"Of course we hope that our success with this age group will give us the attention that the boys deserve," said selection coach Christian Wück, who is aiming for the first German title in this age group with the U17 national team. "We want to be the best," said smiling quarter-final hero Paris Brunner.
Five games, five wins: With great individual qualities and, to the delight of many fans, the often-missed classic German virtues, the DFB talents are a promising candidate for the title ahead of Tuesday's semi-final against Argentina (9.30 am/Sky Sport News). "I told the boys that we can only beat ourselves," said Wück on Sky. The German Football Association is delighted with the furious performances of a new generation after a major dampening of spirits for the senior national team.
DFB talents racially insulted
The U17 European Championship title in the summer was the interim highlight of the 2006 generation, some of whose players were subjected to racist insults on the internet during the tournament in Indonesia. "Young German national team players being racially insulted after winning the World Cup for Germany? In the year 2023? Are you serious? When will this ever stop...?", criticized former national soccer player Jérôme Boateng.
Some users posted hateful comments on social media under a picture of Brunner, who later scored the winning goal in Spain, as well as his Dortmund club colleagues Charles Herrmann and Almugera Kabar and Fayssal Harchaoui (1. FC Köln). Like Boateng's 2014 world champion team, the current U17 team is also a diverse reflection of society: there are players born in Germany who have Ghanaian, Congolese or Moroccan roots, for example. "We are proud of the diversity in our U17s, who are playing their hearts out on the pitch in Indonesia," emphasized the DFB. It intends to take legal action against offensive content.
Does Argentina have a new Messi?
At the Manahan Stadium in Surakarta, none of this is an issue when the semi-final against Lionel Messi's successor generation kicks off. Argentina's 3-0 win over Brazil with three goals from captain Claudio Echeverri, perhaps the world's best player of the year, highlighted the difficulty of their next World Cup task. "It won't get any easier. But we're still in it and of course our goal is to stay here until December 2," said Wück. The final will then also take place in Surakarta.
Wück is also relying on the special characteristics of his selection against Argentina. "The individual quality of the players stands out. I've said before that we've put together a team reminiscent of the German teams of the 80s and 90s," Wück told the German Press Agency. "Our defenders can defend, our forwards can score. These are the virtues that have always characterized German teams here abroad."
Comparison with senior internationals
Even if the comparison with the seasoned senior national team players and their defeats in friendly matches against Turkey and Austria is of course a bit of a stretch: But they are attributes that the fans would also like to see from the stars in Nagelsmann's team.
"The road to the senior national team is very long," said Wück. After the "huge platform" of the World Cup, the next step for the talented players will be in their clubs. "The key word is trust. We have to make sure that the transitional players get the confidence and playing time with the pros. The Spanish are showing us how to do it, FC Barcelona in particular. There are two from the 2006 age group who are already playing there. Unfortunately, it's not like that for us yet."
- Despite the recent racist insults faced by some of the U17 players of diverse backgrounds during the European Championship, the success of this team is gaining attention, with Christian Wück hoping that it inspires more opportunities for the players.
- The DFB is eagerly following the U17 team's progress in the World Cup, as they aim to carry on the classic German virtues shown by this side, evoking memories of successful teams of the past.
Source: www.dpa.com
