Nearly a quarter century ago, Franz Beckenbauer, the former German superstar and coach, declared after unification that the country might never lose at soccer again. To his logic, Germany was now so stocked with talent to go with its technical superiority that it would have no competitive peer.
His statement had haunted Germany ever since. There were quarterfinal appearances in 1994 and 1998, then a loss in the final in 2002. The Germans went down in the semifinals in both 2006 and 2010. While it was undoubtedly the most consistent soccer power in the world for the last 25 years, the trophy Germany wanted to see their heroes lift had remained elusive.
For L?w, the outcome in Brazil was especially sweet, as the pass to G?tze arrived off the foot of another substitute, Schürrle. L?w hadn't pressed many wrong buttons while leading Germany's campaign in Brazil, and he certainly didn't on Sunday in Rio. More broadly, it was his project to create a different German champion. The result was a dazzling group that can threaten the goal seemingly at will. "Through 10 years and these weeks the team has developed a team spirit," L?w said after the match. "It has a marvelous technical capacity and the willpower to carry this out."
Under the fireworks of the Rio night, as Germany became the first European national team to lift the World Cup trophy in the Americas, L?w's Germans finally proved Beckenbauer right. It's not clear when they will lose again.
