Honor for football legends: Müller, Neuer and Gündogan say thank you!

Honor for football legends: Müller, Neuer and Gündogan say thank you!

In the Munich football arena, an emotional climax was set before the National League game against the Netherlands. Over 70,000 spectators paid tribute to Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Ilkay Gündogan and Toni Kroos, who was absent. The adoption of these four football sizes shaped the evening, which was felt on both the lawn and in the rows of spectators when the audience got up.

The honor was made by DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and sports director Rudi Völler. Neuer (38), Müller (35) and the non-present Kroos (34) and ex-captain Gündogan (33) decided their end of their career in the national team after the home European Championship last summer. In their 451 international matches, they left a lasting legacy. Nostalgic pictures of their time flickered over the video walls in the DFB jersey, while large-format portraits could be seen in the fan curve, which were framed by a banner with the inscription "Thank you for all boys".

Müller talks about the time together

"Of course it was a great story. Time passed incredibly quickly," reflected Müller on ZDF over the 14 years in the DFB team. Despite the emotional memories, he remained optimistic: "The Next generation is already at the corner!" After the game, a joint celebration between the legends and the current team was planned to end the evening properly.

The professional career of the four players continues to be active, even if Kroos, who ended his career with Real Madrid after winning the Champions League, was missing in the Allianz Arena. Instead, he had appointments with his youth academy in Madrid. National coach Julian Nagelsmann expressed his regret, but made it clear that this did not change Kroos' status as one of the greatest in German football history. He had returned to the national team for the European Championship home tournament.

The national team sizes of the then national teams have shaped the German football landscape for years, not only football -based, but also in their role as personalities. Neuer made their debut in the DFB team in 2009, while Müller and Kroos rose to the team shortly before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Gündogan played his first international match in 2011 and thus opened the door to a remarkable career.

In addition, during the warming up of the two teams, Germany and Holland, an adoption for five long-time members of the DFB supervisor was organized. Among other things, this included team psychologist Hans-Dieter Hermann and physiotherapist Wolfgang Bunz, who often hurried on the sidelines on international matches when players had to be injured. Such appreciations are important to reward the merits of these people who work in the background.

Overall, the event shows how deep the connection between the players and the fans is and how much these legends are still rooted in the hearts of the fans. Your contributions to German football will be remembered, while the view of a new generation of talent is directed to step into your footsteps. More details can be found in a report on www.shz.de can be read.