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Football facts: 7 things you must know about Germany

Football facts: 7 things you must know about Germany

No matter the tournament, the German football team is a force to be reckoned with: There’s always a lot of buzz surrounding the Deutsche Nationalmannschaft (German national team), so get your facts straight and read through our crash course on all things Fußball (football).

1. THE STARS

Mats Hummels – Position: Defender, Team: Bayern Munich

Toni Kroos – Position: Midfielder, Team: Real Madrid

Sami Khedira – Position: Midfielder, Team: Juventus Turin

Joshua Kimmich – Position: defense, Team: Bayern Munich

Jérôme Boateng – Position: defense, Team: Bayern Munich

Manuel Neuer – Position: Goalkeeper, Team: Bayern Munich

2. “JOGI”, THE COACH WITH THE INCREDIBLE HAIR

Joachim Löw (aka “Jogi”) has been the coach of the German national team since 2006. He is famous for his classy outfits and incredible hair. Just google the man.

3. FOOTBALL VOCAB “AUF DEUTSCH”

There are some German football expressions you should absolutely know – especially if you’re watching the games with Germans:

Tor – Goal

Abseits – Offside

Mittelfeld – Midfield

Stürmer – Striker

Abwehr – Defense

Kapitän – Captain

Schiedsrichter – Referee

Elfmeterschießen – Penalty shoot-out (quite a mouthful, huh?)

Verlängerung – Extra time

Freistoß – Free kick

Ecke – Corner

4. PUBLIC VIEWINGS ARE A BIG DEAL

During big football events and important finals, every café, restaurant, and Biergarten in Germany puts up screens to show the game. Everyone, from kids to grandmas, comes together to watch and cheer. In Berlin and Munich, you’ll also find so-called fan miles at the Brandenburger Tor and on Leopoldstraße: There, up to a million people gather to watch the games together – all dressed in black, red and gold (the German colors)!

5. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CHANTS

“Ole, Ole, Ole, Super Deutschland, Ole” – This is the German version of the international chant “Ole, Ole, Ole, We Are The Champions, Ole.”

“Dschland, Dschland” – Means: “Germany, Germany” and as Deutschland is such a long word, we shorten it and just say “Dschland.”

“So sehen Sieger aus, shalalalala…“ – This chant is used when the team is winning. It means: “That’s what champions look like, shalalalala…”

Einer geht noch, einer geht noch rein!“ – Used when the team is on a roll. It means: “One more goal is still possible!”

6. GERMANS LOVE THEIR FOOTBALL SONGS

Sportfreunde Stiller: ’54, ’74, ’90, 2010

Herbert Grönemeyer_:_ Zeit, dass sich was dreht

Xavier Naidoo: Dieser Weg (Fun fact: The German players were listening to this song during the World Cup 2006 before leaving the changing room, and that’s how and why it became a football song.)

Sasha: This is my time

Andreas Bourani: Auf uns (This was the official song of the German TV station ARD during the World Cup 2014.)

7. AND THEY CELEBRATE WITH BEER SHOWERS

In Germany, football victories are not celebrated with champagne: Instead, the players (and fans) shower everyone with beer, preferably from a huge mug.

Image by Photocapy, Flickr / Creative Commons

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