Germany: A Summer Fairy Tale

Germany in 2006 looked and felt like a different country from the Germany of a decade earlier. The wall had been down for sixteen years; the scars of reunification were still present but fading; the football culture had been reinvigorated by a generation of coaches who had studied the Dutch and Spanish schools and produced a synthesis. Jürgen Klinsmann had been appointed national coach against the wishes of much of the German establishment, and he had transformed the squad's playing style — attacking rather than cautious, expansive rather than mechanical — in two years.

The German public embraced the tournament with a warmth and openness that surprised the world. The "Sommermärchen" — Summer Fairy Tale — was the phrase that attached itself to the experience: the public viewing zones in the city centres, the German fans draped in their own flags without political ambivalence for the first time in sixty years, the collective pride that seemed genuinely new rather than inherited. The football was entertaining, the Germans were hospitable, and the combination produced something that previous German tournaments had not — international goodwill.

The final between Italy and France was contested at a level below the hosts' performances but compensated with human drama. Zidane's Panenka in the seventh minute. Materazzi's equaliser. Extra time. Zidane's headbutt in the 110th minute. His walk past the World Cup Trophy on the way to the dressing room. Italy winning on penalties after Trezeguet's shot struck the crossbar. Fabio Cannavaro, the tournament's finest defender, lifting the trophy in Berlin — a victory built on collective defensive excellence and Zidane's absence.

Italy's triumph was deserved. Their squad combined the defensive intelligence of Buffon, Cannavaro, and Nesta with the attacking creativity of Pirlo, Totti, and Del Piero. They conceded two goals in seven matches. They were the most complete team in the tournament. But the 2006 World Cup is remembered first as a German experience — as a summer in which a country found a way to celebrate itself without shadows — and second as Zidane's farewell. Italy's trophy is historical fact. The fairy tale was the feeling.

MATCH FOOTAGE

2006

Italy 1–1 France (5–3 pen)

2006

Germany 0–2 Italy (AET)

2006

Germany 1–1 Argentina (4–2 pen)

2006

Germany 3–1 Portugal

2006

Germany 4–2 Costa Rica

2006

Argentina 2–1 Côte d'Ivoire