Nearly 30 years have passed, when a German footballer won the Bellon D’Or last time, the most reputed individual award of the game. In 1996, Mathius Sammer was awarded a trophy on the heels of winning an European championship for his country and several months ago he would proceed to win the Champions League Tith with the club, Borusia Dortmund.
Even before Sammer, German footballers had seen a lot of Bellon D’Or success, especially in the 1970s and the early 80s. Legends Gird Muller, Franz Bekenbair, and Carl-Henz Rummening won the award to everyone, later two won it twice.
In the last fee decades, the German teams and their players have managed to live in the world football and the center – Bavaria Munich has the Champions League three times, while Germany won the FIFA World Cup in 2014. Success of your respective clubs.
But the iconic Ballon D’Or remains elusive for German footballers. The question is why?
Lack of elite attackers?
For about 30 years, Bellon D’Or attacked almost specifically strikers and players. All three winners since Sammer are on the front, with the most recent exception to the Spanish Defense Midfield Roadri in 2024.
The unfortunate reality for Germany is that they have not managed to keep with other countries, or even their own history in the creation of world -class attackers. When the country expelled the group in the back-to-back World Cup, the lack of output of the elite could be one of the biggest contributors factors.
Both Thomas Muller and Tony Cross made their identity during this era, but in fact, only Germans who come close to lift Bellon D’OR in the last three decades were two goalkeepers. Oliver Kahan and Manual Neur defined themselves again, but both did not end the third – in 2002 and ended Neur in 2014. And it was Cristiano Ronaldo who would take Balloon D’Or home.
Ronaldo and Messi era
The biggest obstacle for players of any nationality during this time period was actually Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The pair dominated the field, and what is reflected in the balloon.
From Ronaldo’s first win in 2008 to Messi’s win in 2023, every year, but two gave the thesis to the thesis Vipul footballers to Ballon D’Or. When Croatian midfielder Luka Modric broke the 10 -year streak in 2018, it seemed earlier that the era had ended. But soon after, Messi will win the next two years continuously and again in 2023.
Can Germany rotate it around?
Over the last two years, neither Messi or Ronaldo have done bees in Bellon D’OR for the first time since 2006. A new era can now actually come, and at the same time the right opportunity comes for Germany.
At present, two of the most exciting German players are Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Liverpool’s Florian Vartz. Both are just 22 years old, playing in attacking positions and Champions League regular. If Musiala can return to the form shown before her injury and can adjust life quickly in the Vartz Premier League, there is a real opportunity that Germany will have a Bellon D’Or winner for the first time in two generations.
Edited by: Jonathan Harding