Back Together Again: Reflections on the 2006 world cup

A couple of weeks ago, we met as a group for the first time since the 2006 World Cup. Almost 20 years later, more than half of the squad came together again at the adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, alongside many of the staff who were part of that summer. It was special to see everyone again.

Some people you stay close to. Others you haven’t seen for years. But when you share something like a home World Cup, the connection is always there. And 2006 was not just another tournament.

At the time, we probably didn’t fully understand what it meant. We were focused on the games, the pressure, the preparation, the next opponent. But looking back now, that World Cup meant a lot more than results. It brought joy to people across Germany. It changed the mood of the country. It showed a more open, positive, colourful Germany to the world. It also changed German football.

Jürgen Klinsmann and his team brought a different energy and a different way of thinking. Not everyone believed in it at the beginning. There was resistance, as there often is when people try to change things. But that group had courage. And in many ways, it helped lay the foundation for what came after.

For me personally, it was one of the great experiences of my career. Not only because we finished third, but because of what that summer represented.
Football can do that sometimes. It can bring people together in a way very few things can.

Grateful to Jürgen Klinsmann for bringing the group together again, and great to see Philipp Lahm, Gerald Asamoah, Timo Hildebrand, and so many familiar faces. And grateful to have been part of a summer that still means so much to so many people.