DFB young talent
World Cup winter fairytale for the U17 before a golden moment
U17 coach Christian Wück leaves it open whether Max Schmitt will be in goal in the World Cup final. photo
© Marton Monus/dpa
Now the U17 wants to take the final step towards the World Cup title. As promising DFB talents, Paris Brunner & Co. are casting a spell over football Germany. But a path à la Kroos is an exception.
“I know that we can do even better. We will show that in the final. We definitely want to win the title,” explained the young Dortmund star before the showdown on Saturday (1 p.m./Sky Sport News and RTL) against the sheer inexhaustible reservoir of talent from the Grande Nation.
On the way to the new edition of the European Championship final won by Germany, the DFB team in Indonesia also impressively demonstrated why their coach likes to emphasize that his boys can actually “only beat themselves”. No defeat at the European Championships in the summer, undefeated at the World Cup now – especially in the knockout duels, the young team thrills the fans in their winter home more than 11,000 kilometers away in the style of a tournament team.
Germany has football talent
“I already said it after the European Championship title: We have talent in Germany,” said coach Christian Wück in the humid, warm Southeast Asia. Captain Noah Darvich from FC Barcelona, the Unterhaching penalty expert Konstantin Heide or the European Championship top scorer Brunner are just three of many examples. Wück left it open whether Heide would also represent regular goalkeeper Max Schmitt (FC Bayern Munich), who fell ill in the semi-finals, in the final. We will wait for the final training and will not make a decision until the day of the game.
“Paris is an individual on the pitch that every team needs. But in many situations he has to put himself even more at the service of the team,” said Wück about Brunner, who is particularly in the public eye. “The boys grow through mistakes and moments of success.” This is especially true for Brunner, who was awarded the Fritz Walter Gold Medal for the best young player of the 2006 class.
Brunner’s maturation process continues
The path of the past few weeks has not been easy for him. In October he was temporarily suspended from Borussia Dortmund for an unspecified “incident”. The offensive player’s reaction is said to have been good. It seems as if Brunner was able to take important lessons with him for his further maturation process. “If the club had said that it wouldn’t have been conducive to Paris’ learning process, I wouldn’t have nominated him. I always think about what’s best for his development and he learned from it – that’s why he’s there,” said Wück Interview with “Bild”.
The teenager with Congolese roots would have liked to have been spared the racist hostility that Brunner and three teammates faced after a selfie on social media during the World Cup. A few days later, after reaching the final, Brunner demonstratively tapped the eagle on the jersey and held the heraldic animal into the camera.
Back in goal form in time for the final
Brunner’s football skills are outstanding – coupled with the self-image of a leading player, they often decide the game. In the quarter-finals against Spain, the 17-year-old converted a penalty given to him to make the final score 1-0. In the semi-final against Argentina he shone with a brace, made up for the half-time deficit – and then ended the penalty shootout with the final try.
“We are happy that Paris has found his form again in the last few games and is scoring goals, because of course he also defines himself by goals,” said Wück. Brunner, who is said to be a good piano player, performed so virtuosically at the European Championships in Hungary that he was named the best player of the tournament. At the World Cup, too, he is among those who have hopes of winning the Golden Ball.
A career like Kroos?
History shows that this award for the best player at a U17 World Cup does not always automatically pave the way to a great career. Years later, the Ghanaian Nii Lamptey played for SpVgg Greuther Fürth for two seasons, while his compatriot Daniel Addo earned his money at Karlsruher SC or Fortuna Düsseldorf. Mohamed Amor Al Kathri (Oman) and James Will (Scotland) did not have distinguished careers either. It was different with the Spaniard Cesc Fàbregas, the Englishman Phil Foden and Toni Kroos. Today’s Real Madrid star was honored as the best player of the tournament in 2007 and celebrated perhaps the most successful German football career ever.
Brunner, Darvich & Co. can only dream of that at the moment. “The path to the senior national team is very long. The next step is in the clubs. If good performances are shown in the Bundesliga or 2nd Bundesliga, you can slowly start thinking about an international career,” said Wück when asked German press agency.
The “Panthers” show German virtues
At least now his boys are already enthusiastic. Even if the comparison is flawed: the talents impress with their determination and determination in dreary days for the senior national team, whose own World Cup glory was a long time ago. They also embody traditional German football virtues.
“I’m lucky that we can bring mentality and individual quality together,” said Wück. “I think Germany is now very proud of the team.” Especially when the self-proclaimed “Panthers” win their first title in the second German final participation in this tournament history after 1985. The then U20 – including the later Dortmund sports director Michael Zorc – achieved the World Cup triumph in Australia in 1981.