- Germany 2006 kicked off 15 years ago today
- Italy ultimately crowned champions for the fourth time
- The hosts’ ‘summer fairytale’ had an unhappy ending in the semi-final
Between 9 June and 9 July 2006, the whole of Germany experienced an exceptional four weeks that was, as the tournament slogan put it, ‘a time to make friends’. In a break from normal German weather conditions, the sun shone continually throughout – a truly astonishing phenomenon befitting a ‘summer fairytale’.
The 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ celebrates its 15-year anniversary this month. The tournament provided the setting for many memorable moments that are now indelibly written in the history books. How much can you still remember when you think back to Germany 2006?
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General view of a firework display as the Italian players and coaching staff celebrate with the FIFA World Cup trophy following their victory in a penalty shootout in the Final.
CONTENIDOS DE LA PAGINA
06 Dec 2012
General view of a firework display as the Italian players and coaching staff celebrate with the FIFA World Cup trophy following their victory in a penalty shootout in the Final. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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05 Jul 2016
Fans arrive at the FIFA World Cup Stadium in Munich on 9 June to watch the opening game of the 2006 FIFA World Cup between Germany and Costa Rice. The hosts beat Los Ticos 4-2.The six-goal opener was the most amount of goals scored in a single game at the tournament, sharing the honours with one other match – Argentina’s 6-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro on 16 June.
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05 Jul 2016
Five minutes into the opening match of Germany 2006 Philipp Lahm scored the first goal of the tournament with a curling right from the corner of the 18-yard box. Germany defeated Costa Rica 4-2 and Lahm went on to shine as one of the tournament’s most impressive players. Eight years later, in Brazil, Lahm would finally lift the World Cup trophy as Germany’s winning captain.
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Messi’s first World Cup goal
05 Jul 2016
16 June. Argentina against Serbia & Montenegro in Gelsenkirchen. Wearing the No. 19 jersey, Lionel Messi comes on as a substitute for Maxi Rodriguez in the 75th minute. 13 minutes later, the left-footed player received a pass from Carlos Tevez and scored his first ever World Cup goal, with his right boot! Argentina won 6-0. “From all the goals I’ve scored at the World Cup, that was the most special one,” Messi told FIFA.com.
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05 Jul 2016
Mexico fans wearing sombreros soak up the atmosphere before their group stage game against Angola on 16 June. To their surprise, tournament debutants Angola would hold El Tri to a goalless draw. Angola faced Iran in their final group match and came close to qualifying for the next round, were it not for a 75th minute equaliser from Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh. “Having played at the World Cup itself was a heavenly gift,” said Angola’s Loco of the African nations only ever participation at the World Cup.
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05 Jul 2016
Tournament debutants Ghana suffered a trial by fire in their first ever World Cup match, a 2-0 defeat to eventual champions Italy. Five days later the Black Stars started to shine, defeating Czech Republic 2-0. Here goalkeeper Richard Kingson comes to the rescue in the match, which took place on 17 June in Cologne. Ghana would go on to defeat USA in their final group game, securing a place in the Round of 16 against Brazil and becoming only the sixth African nation to progress past the group stage at a World Cup.
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05 Jul 2016
Juan Riquelme wore the fabled No. 10 jersey for Argentina at Germany 2006. Above, Riquelme is surrounded by Dutch players during their Group C match at the Stadium Frankfurt. Riquelme would be best remembered at the tournament for being the key player in a sequence of 24 passes that led to Esteban Cambiasso’s goal for Argentina against Serbia-Montenegro.
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05 Jul 2016
Defensive midfielder Igor Duljaj of Serbia and Montenegro shields his young friend from the rain before the start of Serbia & Montenegro’s final group stage game against Côte d’Ivoire in Munich on 21 June. Côte d’Ivoire would win 3-2, but both teams would fail to qualify for the next round.
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05 Jul 2016
24 June. Munich. A brace from Lukas Podolski in the opening 12 minutes of the match sealed Sweden’s fate. Here, a heartbroken Swedish fan cries like a newborn baby, to the concern of his compassionate partner.
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05 Jul 2016
Ghana made history in 2006 by qualifying for their first ever World Cup and climbing all the way to the Round of 16. However, once there, they met Il Fenomeno (the phenomenon). Here he is, Ronaldo, rounding Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson to score the opening goal in the fifth minute of the Round of 16 match. The goal was Ronaldo’s 15th of the World Cup. It surpassed Gerd Muller’s 14 goal record and crowned the Brazilian as the new World Cup all-time leading goalscorer. A record that would stand until Miroslav Klose eclipsed it at the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil.
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Everybody jumps on Vieira
05 Jul 2016
27 June. Hannover. After a string of subdued performances in the group stage, the French team finally click in the Round of 16. Here, Patrick Vieira puts France 2-1 up against Spain with just 7 minutes of regular time left on the clock, leading to the above celebration. Not one to be left out, Zidane would jump in on the action at the 92-minute mark with a final goal to ring in the defeat. Final Whistle: France 3, Spain 1.
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05 Jul 2016
25 June 2006. Russian referee Valentin Ivanov issues four red cards and 16 yellow cards in the Portugal-Netherlands Round of 16 match, setting a new record for cards shown at a FIFA tournament. Ivanov has called it the toughest match of his career. “The environment I found myself in during that game was unlike any other I’d experienced.» Ivanov recently told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview reflecting on the game, which is known infamously as The Battle of Nuremberg.
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05 Jul 2016
A group of photographers document events prior to the Round of 16 match between England and Ecuador played at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium on 25 June. A long-rage free kick by David Beckham would ensure that England, and the photographers, had something for the front pages. Final score: England 1-0 Ecuador.
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Argentina’s biggest fan
05 Jul 2016
24 June, Leipzig. Another entry is added to Mexico’s World Cup Round of 16 curse. 1986 World Cup winning captain Diego Maradona celebrates Maxi Rodriguez’s extra-time goal. Final score in this Round of 16 match: Argentina 2-1 Mexico. Mexico have not returned to the quarter-final stage since 1986, despite making it to every Round of 16 from 1994 to 2014.
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05 Jul 2016
80th minute. The Berlin Quarterfinal. Argentina leads Germany by 1-0. Ballack takes the throw in. Lahm receives and passes back to his captain. Ballack crosses. Substitute Tim Borowski – who had only been on the pitch for six minutes – flicks the cross on with the head and Klose heads home to equalise. Cue the beginning of Argentinian heartache in Berlin. The Quarterfinal would go on to be decided in one of the most famous penalty shootouts in World Cup history. Germany would score all four, Jens Lehmann would save two and Germany would continue to the semi-finals. (30 June, Olympic Stadium)
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05 Jul 2016
After the match ends, Argentina fans remain in their seats in disbelief after their penalty shootout loss to Germany in the quarterfinal played at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on 30 June
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Zidane makes Brazil flinch
05 Jul 2016
France captain Zinedine Zidane strikes a free-kick directly at a wall filled with Brazilian talent. Zizou would put in an outstanding performance in the quarterfinal match, culminating in a superb assist – a free kick from deep to find Henry stalking the far post. Final score France 1-0 Brazil. (1 July, Stadium Frankfurt)
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05 Jul 2016
Wayne Rooney’s stamp on Ricardo Carvalho in the 62nd minute resulted in a red card, and an altercation with then-Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese forward had pleaded for a card to be shown. Portugal would win the quarterfinal on penalties, sending England out at the quarterfinal stage in a repeat of the pair’s EURO 2004 qualifier (July 1, 2006).
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05 Jul 2016
The Germany team line up for a group photo in front of a large row of photographers prior to their semi-final against Italy. The match, played in Dortmund on 4 July would be decided in extra-time. Grosso and Del Piero would score two late extra-time goals to end the hosts winning streak in the tournament.
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05 Jul 2016
Germany-Italy. 4 July. The semi-finals. After 119 minutes of goalless football, Fabio Grosso scored to give Italy a 1-0 lead in extra-time. Just two minutes later came the knockout punch. Pictured here, Alessandro Del Piero scores the second goal in extra-time past Jens Lehmann of Germany to realize Azzurri dreams of another World Cup Final.
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05 Jul 2016
An Italian couple celebrate in a fountain after the semi-final match between Germany and Italy on 4 July. Italy won the match 2-0.
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05 Jul 2016
An official holds the match ball for the 2006 Final between Italy and France at the Olympic Stadium on 9 July.
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05 Jul 2016
Italy line up for a group photo prior to the final against France at the Olympic Stadium on 9 July in Berlin. The 2006 Final would be the first final since 1978 in which neither Germany nor Brazil appeared.
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05 Jul 2016
A red-card in extra-time would be how the final curtain fell on Zinedine Zidane’s international playing career. Here, the French captain walks past the FIFA World Cup trophy having just received a red card in extra-time of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final. Zidane would have to watch from the sidelines as France lost the penalty shootout, giving Italy their fourth world cup title.
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05 Jul 2016
A moment every professional footballer dreams of – face to face with the World Cup trophy. Francesco Totti, with an Italy flag wrapped around his head, pulls focus on the object of his desire. The Roma captain fought his way back from injury to play at the tournament and played all seven games in Germany with metal plates in his ankles which had yet to be removed following his surgery a few months earlier.
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05 Jul 2016
The final whistle blows and the party gets started. Gennaro Gattuso of Italy celebrates World Cup victory, minus his shorts, with teammate Marco Materazzi at the Olympic Stadium on 9 July.
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05 Jul 2016
“I love it when a plan comes together” was the favourite catchphrase of 1980s American TV show character Hannibal, leader of the A-team. Marcello Lippi, with his blue eyes, white hair and victory cigar, channels the fictional Colonel in this photo taken shortly after the final whistle. The 2006 World Cup title was Italy’s first world title in 24 years. After the evening’s celebrations, the three stars on Italy’s national team jersey would be replaced with four – one for every world cup title.
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The World Cup-winning captain looks back
One of the most unforgettable images of tGermany 2006 is that of Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro proudly hoisting the FIFA World Cup Trophy into the night sky over Berlin’s Olympiastadion. After an action-packed Final full of emotion and drama, the Azzurri won 5-3 on penalties against France.
Cannavaro still has vivid memories of of the tournament. The former defender and FIFA World Player of the Year for 2006 looked back at Italy’s semi-final win over the hosts, the key moments in an enthralling Final and becoming world champions.
Zizou’s ignominious exit
One image in particular springs to the mind of every football fan when Germany 2006 is mentioned: Zinedine Zidane’s moment of madness in Berlin, when France’s vastly experienced playmaker let emotion get the better of him and headbutted Marco Materazzi.
«It was not pretty,» the French superstar later admitted. «I ask for forgiveness from the kids who saw it.»
After seeing red for his headbutt, Zidane ended his career with a long and lonely walk to the dressing room, poignantly passing by a trophy that, without him, Les Bleus proved powerless to reclaim.
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The man who gave Zidane his marching orders
Another man who made history that night was Argentinian Horacio Elizondo – the first, and so far only, referee to officiate both the Opening Match and the Final at a World Cup.
«When you’re young you dream about the things you’d like to do, but then life takes you in other directions,» said the former referee, who knew at the age of 15 that he was not going to make it as a professional footballer. «I realised that there were a lot of young players like me, and that it was going to be very difficult to make it to the first division.»
He chose instead to devote his energies to athletics, with his love for sport in general eventually leading him to become a PE teacher. However, refereeing allowed him to fulfil the dreams he harboured as a child, albeit by an alternative route: «I achieved my objective not by becoming a player or an Olympic athlete but a referee – first at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and then at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.»
Semi-final exit for the hosts
After the World Cup kicked off in their homeland, Germany embarked on a summer fairytale that they hoped would carry them all the way to the Final and their fourth World Cup triumph. Although Italy made a less emphatic start to the tournament, they proved to be a robust side who navigated their way to the last four flawlessly. The Azzurri countered the attractive attacking football of Jurgen Klinsmann’s side with staunch defending, a strategy that steered them to a 2-0 victory after extra-time in a thrilling and intense encounter.
Germany’s Miroslav Klose scored five of his 16 World Cup goals during the 2006 World Cup to collect the adidas Golden Boot. The striker became the most prolific goalscorer in World Cup history eight years later.
Wanchope’s opening-day brace
The Opening Match of Germany 2006 is one that Costa Rica legend Paulo Wanchope is unlikely to ever forget. Making their third appearance at a World Cup, Los Ticos had the honour of kicking off the biggest footballing party of the year when they faced hosts Germany in the Opening Match in Munich.
Although Jurgen Klinsmann’s charges ultimately celebrated a 4-2 win, Costa Rica and Wanchope delivered a spirited performance. The former striker fondly recalled the brace he scored and talks about the important place that this match holds in the hearts of Costa Rican football fans.
Did you know…?
The Squadra Azzurra were the first national team to receive the FIFA World Champions Badge. Since then, every winner of the FIFA World Cup has been presented with this badge, which they can wear on their shirts until the next global finals. It features an image of the World Cup Trophy created by Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga in 1974. A similar badge for the winners of the FIFA Club World Cup™ was first presented to AC Milan, the winners of the 2007 tournament.
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