The contrast is notable. In 2006, Germany organized the Football World Cup in an atmosphere of collective joy under a hospitable motto: The world as a guest in the house of friends. One remembers the colors of the national flag everywhere: in windows, bars and gardens; in the form of a pennant placed on cars, bicycles and baby strollers; in bracelets, necklaces and other jewelry. And one also remembers the general enthusiasm encrypted in the confidence that the team inspired and established in times of economic prosperity and high national self-esteem prior to the international financial crisis of 2008.
The panorama has changed in a negative sense. One has been residing in the German country for four decades and never to date had he perceived so clearly a kind of generalized melancholy, from which the Euro Cup that will begin today, Friday in Munich, is not immune. The championship is, yes, in the sports pages and in the news, but not in the streets as in that colorful summer of 2006. The reasons for this disaffection are multiple and come from a few years ago, aggravated by the economic situation and the national and European sociopolitical situation. Seeing daily images of explosions and deaths in Ukraine and Gaza, one really doesn’t feel like giving in to joy.
The German myth of the country of poets and philosophers (Dichter und Denker), of the disciplined nation that works like a clockwork mechanism, industrious, innovative, reliable, known and admired for its organizational spirit, methodical work and punctuality, today finds a place mainly in the favorable judgment of those who are unaware of its current state, without this meaning that yours is an isolated case. Germany’s problem is Europe’s problem and it can be called by different names. For example, decay. He left it to others more versed in these matters to elucidate the causes. Ordinary citizens simply realize that there is a lack of personnel everywhere, that the efforts of entrepreneurs are discouraged, that there is no train that leaves or arrives on time, that news of violent knives is common and that uncertainty has turned into fear and irritation. It leads more and more citizens to seek desperate solutions in political formations that promise a heavy hand and call democracy into question.
It is true that a national soccer team full of stars and with good prospects of victory, as was the case in other times, could contribute to the momentary oblivion of the present problems and breathe some enthusiasm into the nation. However, the team does not inspire confidence after failing to even make it past the group stage in the last two World Cups. In view of the mediocre game and the difficulties in beating modest rivals in the preparations for this Euro Cup, Toni Kroos was not shy about recently stating what he thinks. “We are not strong enough,” he said. Of course, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is not going through his best moment after a long injury. And the other day we saw that in a training session the Real Madrid player Rüdiger and the striker Fühlkrug, who already met in the final at Wembley, were on the verge of coming to blows, which for some analysts is proof that the team there is combativeness and desire, and for others disharmony and conflicts.
The very return of Kroos to the national team raises suspicions, and not so much because of his football quality, which is beyond doubt, but because of the disturbing circumstance that at 34 years old there are no younger players to challenge him for his position. Of course his seniority and prestige can benefit the team. Even when he does not wear the captain’s armband, his presence has weight and his voice, his authority. With Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Brehme and Hölzenbein having passed away in recent years, Toni Kroos is currently the only active German player with a legendary halo. The rest still have a long way to go to consecrate themselves.
A reason for discussion these days has also been the color of one of the two shirts that the German national team will wear during the Euro Cup. In addition to the white of the glorious times, the players will take to the pitch in their second match, the one that will face them against Hungary, wearing pink clothing, a color with which a large sector of fans is far from identifying and to which more than one attributes fame. of jinx. And if one observes the trivial mascot of the championship, a stuffed animal characterized by its undeniable lack of originality, one will end up seeing in the country of poets and philosophers an ostensible lack of creative genius, as well as the nerdy attempt to simulate a popular festival in the middle of a depressed environment. All that remains is for the weather predictions to be correct and for us to have a Euro Cup that is wet and with temperatures below 20 degrees.
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