Choose your own Germany World Cup legends XI: Do Neuer, Beckenbauer, Klose make the cut?

Germany volition endeavour to adjacent Brazil’s grounds of winning 5 satellite titles erstwhile they vie astatine the 2026 World Cup held successful the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Julian Nagelsmann has named his 26-man squad, which volition hole for warm-up fixtures against Finland and USA earlier investigating their mettle successful Group E alongside Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador.

Die Mannschaft volition statesman their run against Curacao successful Houston connected June 14, earlier taking connected Ivory Coast successful Toronto connected June 20, and rounding disconnected the radical signifier against Ecuador successful New Jersey connected June 25.

Germany are wide regarded arsenic 1 of the astir palmy planetary teams successful shot past and person produced immoderate of the beauteous game's top ever players.

Here, Sports Mole gives you the accidental to prime your champion XI of Germany legends - beryllium definite to stock your selections with your friends and connected societal media!

Who are Germany’s biggest World Cup legends?

One of Germany’s all-time legends volition beryllium contiguous astatine the 2026 World Cup, arsenic 40-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has travel retired of planetary status to adhd to his 124 caps and correspond his state astatine a 5th planetary tournament.

Neuer won the World Cup successful 2014 erstwhile legendary defender Philipp Lahm was skipper of the Germany broadside nether Joachim Low, and existent skipper Joshua Kimmich - the most-capped outfield subordinate successful Nagelsmann’s existent squad - is hoping to travel successful their footsteps this summer.

Fritz Walter was Germany’s archetypal World Cup-winning skipper backmost successful 1954 erstwhile helium led the nation, known past arsenic West Germany, to a memorable 3-2 last triumph implicit the mighty Hungary.

Two decades later, Franz Beckenbauer inspired Germany to their 2nd World Cup title. The two-time Ballon d’Or victor and four-time German Footballer of the Year redefined the antiaircraft sweeper position, and his illustrious vocation was aboriginal charted successful a biopic movie Der Kaiser, a rubric reflecting the legendary 'Emperor' nickname helium carried passim his life.

Another elite German defender was Paul Breitner, 1 of lone 5 players successful past to people successful 2 abstracted World Cup finals aft Pele, Vava, Zinedine Zidane and Kylian Mbappe, and besides a five-time Ballon d’Or nominee, finishing runner-up successful 1982.

Germany person been blessed with a plethora of prima midfielders implicit the years, including 1990 World Cup leader Lothar Matthaus, Die Mannschaft’s all-time grounds appearance-maker (150) crossed a illustrious 20-year planetary career.

The likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Mesut Ozil - a five-time German Footballer of the Year victor - were each triumphant astatine the 2014 World Cup, arsenic was versatile guardant and Bayern fable Thomas Muller.

One of the archetypal players that volition outpouring to caput for German supporters erstwhile reminiscing astir planetary tournaments is prolific striker Miroslav Klose, who is inactive the all-time grounds goalscorer astatine the World Cup with 16 goals betwixt 2002 and 2014.

Lukas Podolski, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Gerd Muller are besides legendary strikers to don the celebrated achromatic and achromatic German kit, the second remarkably scored 68 planetary extremity successful conscionable 62 caps, winning the 1970 World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals.

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