FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template
The young Jurgen Klinsmann was so unsure of his future as a professional footballer that he studied for a baking diploma so he would have something to fall back on in case he was a sporting flop.
Klinsmann never needed to follow his father into the bakery trade, however, and his youthful insecurity proved ill-founded as he went on to become one of the world’s most respected strikers. All good things come to an end, though, and one of the sport’s most glittering careers will come to a close after the World Cup finals. Klinsmann believes a German victory at the Stade de France on July 12 would be the perfect way to end over a decade of personal success on the international stage.
Klinsmann has played more than 100 internationals and scored at a rate of close to a goal every second game. Now, however, his place in the starting line-up is at threat from players like Oliver Bierhoff, Olaf Marschall and Ulf Kirsten.
The veteran striker prefers, however, to look at the positive. “We have a very strong side and a good team spirit-a spirit that was built up by winning Euro 96,” he said. “We still have the basis of that team, and we believe in ourselves. That’s why we are one of the favourites. When we are under big pressure-in trouble-we are always able to react.”
That ability to react is one reason why the Germans have not lost a penalty shoot out for two decades. Klinsmann has played club football in Germany, Italy, France and England. He was twice German Footballer of the Year and English Player of the Year in 1995, during his first stint with Tottenham. He is multilingual and is smart enough to have learned from all his experiences. The German skipper says he thrives on the big occasion-like the World Cup. “There is always a lot of pressure, a lot of expectations, if you play for a team like Germany,” Klinsmann said. “But while there is pressure, that is also a motivating factor.”
Klinsmann, now 33, experienced the high of lifting the World Cup aloft in Italy in 1990 and he also led the Germans to their Euro 96 triumph. He has also experienced failure, however, when Germany suffered a bitter quarter-final loss to Bulgaria in the 1994 World Cup in the United States. He remains a man driven by the desire to win. “For the 90 minutes you are on the field you want to win so badly it is like a drug,” he said.
Klinsmann laughs at pundits who make Brazil red-hot favourites to win the World Cup for a fifth time. “You can’t just talk about Brazil,” he said. “There’s Italy, Holland, France, Argentina and England … several teams on the same level. Even in the first round, you can’t underestimate any side.” Anything can happen and the side that wins is going to need a lot of luck. “Klinsmann will draw on the emotions generated by the knowledge that he will retire from international football after France 98. It’s going to be emotional-but it is another motivation,” he said.
It is not just Klinsmann’s goal-scoring ability that is important to German coach Berti Vogts as the European champions prepare for first-round Group F matches against the United States, Yugoslavia and Iran. It is also his experience, leadership qualities and his optimism. The recently-concluded league season, first with Sampdoria in Italy and then with Spurs, was not a happy one for him. He suffered from torn ankle lgaments, which needed an operation before Christmas, and a broken jaw, as Tottenham side struggled to avoid relegation from the English Premiership. He had several clashes with the club’s Swiss coach Christian Gross.
“But I’m on top form now, and I’m going to be on top form when the tournament starts,” he said. Coach Vogts agrees with that analysis. “Jurgen is rediscovering his form at just the right time for the finals,” he said. “Of course, Bierhoff and Kirsten have put pressure on him to perform, but that’s good. Jurgen is an outstanding professional and knows he has to battle for a place in the team. I’m confident he will be up to the challenge.”