Emotional farewell to the DFB legends: A chapter comes to an end!

Emotional farewell to the DFB legends: A chapter comes to an end!

In the Munich football arena, an emotional farewell was celebrated when the German football legends Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Ilkay Gündogan and Toni Kroos, who was not present, were officially adopted out of the national team. Over 70,000 fans showed their gratitude with thunderous applause, when memories of the successful time of the world champion trio and ex-captain Gündogan were shown on the video screens. The award was organized by the DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and sports director Rudi Völler.

The four players have played over 451 caps together. Neuer, who is 38 years old today, and the 35-year-old Müller and the 34-year-old Kroos have left the German national team since the home European Championships in summer. Gündogan, 33 years old, has also played an important role in the past. During the ceremony, the players were able to look back on the big moments of their career, who were cheered by the fans. A big backdrop that aroused memories and let sports history breathe.

The voices of the legends

Thomas Müller commented on the memories on ZDF and emphasized how quickly time had passed: "It was a great story. The Next generation is already at the corner!". This sentence reflects the optimism that players have compared to the future development of German football. Even if Kroos officially ended his career after winning the Champions League, Neuer and Müller are still active at FC Bayern Munich, while Gündogan continues to play in England after his return of Barcelona.

Toni Kroos was not on site because he had commitments with his youth academy in Madrid. National coach Julian Nagelsmann regretted his absence, but emphasized that this did not change Kroos' status as one of the largest German players. "Thank God," added Nagelsmann, "he returned to the national team for the EM homeland tournament." The importance of the four players for the team is undeniable because they have had an impact on the national team for years.

The journey of each individual player began at different times: Neuer made his debut in 2009, while Müller and Kroos came to the team shortly before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Gündogan first competed for Germany in 2011. During the game there was further recognition, as well as long-time members of the supervisor, such as team psychologist Hans-Dieter Hermann and physiotherapist Wolfgang Bunz, were officially adopted.