Germany World Cup Squad
Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker is widely regarded as one of the biggest defensive talents in the German national team. The youngster was one of the first to be installed in the team under Jürgen Klinsmann's youth policy at the end of 2004 and has been ever-present since. "Merte", as the fans affectionately know him, has a burgeoning reputation based on his miserly goals-against ratio and is a good bet for a place in the starting eleven.
Arne Friedrich
Arne Friedrich is looking like an old hand in the Germany team. The Hertha Berlin defender made his international debut in 2002, the year he joined the capital club, and then went on to feature in the ill-fated Euro 2004 campaign. In the following season he was made captain of Hertha and cemented his place in Germany's starting eleven. He will be the commander of Germany's young defense during the World Cup.
Bernd Schneider
An experienced engine in the heart of Germany's midfield, Bernd Schneider is an underrated star in the national team. A player who seems to have been around for ever on the national scene, Schneider is a veteran of the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 as well as seemingly endless seasons with Bayer Leverkusen. Schneider made his international debut in1999 and capped an impressive career for Germany with a huge performance in the final defeat against Brazil in 2002. A midfielder who operates on the right wing to provide crosses and overlapping runs, Schneider is a cert for the starting line-up.
Christoph Metzelder
Borussia Dortmund Christoph Metzelder has been plagued with injury for most of the last two years with a damaged Achilles' tendon. But, to the advantage of Germany, the cultured defender is back to full fitness and ready for the World cup. Metzelder is a Bundesliga champion with Dortmund and was part of the Germany team which reached the 2002 World Cup final in the same season. Despite overtures from abroad, Metzelder has remained faithful to BVB.
Thomas Hitzlsperger
With a left foot which has earned Thomas Hitzlsperger the nickname "Der Hammer", the Stuttgart midfielder provides Germany with a threat from almost anywhere on the pitch. His passing is precise and his shots are thunderbolts likely to explode from that boot at any time the goal beckons. A player who likes to play at a high tempo, Hitzlesperger is a strong midfielder who shows little fear but has a willingness to learn. Back in Germany after a spell in England with Aston Villa, "Der Hammer" will now hope to prove his doubters on the island wrong with a strong performance at the World Cup.
Timo Hildebrand
Timo Hildebrand is Germany's third choice international goalkeeper. The 27-year-old has been at his club VfB Stuttgart since 1995 but had to wait until 2004 before making his international debut. He went with Germany to the European Championships in Portugal that year but played no active role. However, Hildebrand was involved in Jürgen Klinsmann's keeper rotation policy during the Confederations Cup the following year.
Sebastian Kehl
After a two-year absence, Borussia Dortmund's Sebastian Kehl is back in the international fold. A defensive midfielder who likes to orchestrate proceedings from the back, Kehl brings aggressiveness and a good touch to the center and protects the men behind him. Kehl is not short of experience either. The BVB man played in both the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.
Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn has won almost everything a goalkeeper can win. Club honors fill his medal cabinet and the accolades for his performances include a number of Bundesliga, European and World Goalkeeper of the Year awards. The Titan, as he is known, however has yet to pick up an international winners medal and will have to wait his turn this year as he warms the bench as Klinsmann's number two. But, as befitting the man's attitude to the game, he didn't quit and will bring his experience to Germany's efforts to win the World Cup this year despite losing his place between the sticks.
Lukas Podolski
The Prince is preparing himself to be crowned king. Lukas "Prince Poldi" Podolski is the foremost prodigal striking talent in Germany. It is remarkable that he only turned professional three years ago and now the Cologne striker carries the weight of nation's expectation on his shoulders. More amazing is the fact that expectation sits very well. A confident, predatory attacker with blistering pace, the youngster showed in the Confederations Cup that he could pick his way though some of international soccer's tightest defenses. Jürgen Klinsmann and the rest of Germany hope he can repeat the feat this summer.
Michael Ballack
There is no disputing claims that Michael Ballack is one of the best and strongest midfield players in the world. Versatile and technically gifted, Ballack rose through the ranks at Chemnitz, Kaiserslautern and Leverkusen before being signed by Bayern Munich. His record of three Bundesliga titles with Bayern in four years and as many German Cups speaks for itself. However, the lack of European silverware has prompted Germany's one true superstar to head to the Premiership and a three-year deal with reigning champions Chelsea. Germany captain since 2004, Ballack will lead his nation at the 2006 World Cup and his team from his creative berth in the center of the midfield.
Gerald Asamoah
At the age of twelve, Gerald Asamoah came to Germany from Ghana. In 2001, he pulled the white shirt of his adoptive country on for the first time and became the first black player to do so, scoring on his debut for good measure. A year later, he was playing in a World Cup final. Not bad for a player with a heart condition who has to wear a defibrillator during every game. Asamoah's story is a soccer fantasy and one which looks intent to continue with his inclusion in the squad for the 2006 World Cup. A strong and direct striker with a deft touch of skill, Asamoah has been a mainstay in the Schalke 04 team since joining them in 1999 from Hanover 96.
Philipp Lahm
Philipp Lahm is happiest playing on the left side of the defense but, given his love of the game, would probably play in goal if asked. After two impressive seasons with VfB Stuttgart, on loan from Bayern Munich, the Bavarian giants saw the massive steps Lahm had taken in improving his game and brought him back in July 2005. He went on to regularly feature in Bayern's double-winning season as well as for the national side. Almost a veteran despite his young age, Lahm featured in Euro 2004 and proved his worth on the left -- and when belting out the national anthem before each game.
Miroslav Klose
Goal scoring is synonymous with Werder Bremen's Miroslav Klose. A prolific scorer with Kaiserslautern, "Miro" finally prized himself away from the club where he was the goal king to make it in a bigger team, that team being Werder. And the goals kept flowing. His reliability made him Germany's first striker and, some five years after his debut, Klose remains the number one choice to lead the line. A year after debuting for Germany, he went to the 2002 World Cup and finished as the tournament's second highest scorer as Germany finished as runners-up. Top scorer in the Bundesliga this season, Klose goes to the World Cup on the crest of a wave.
Jens Lehmann
Jens Lehmann goes into the World Cup as Germany's number one. The Arsenal keeper did enough in a season which saw his club reach the Champions League final to convince coach Jürgen Klinsmann to choose him as the starting goalie ahead of Oliver Kahn. Lehmann holds a record at international level for the least goals conceded. Lehmann kept clean sheets for Germany in all his appearances from August 2002 to February 2005. After a calamitous domestic season last year, Lehmann has come out the other side and come out on top.
Oliver Neuville
Oliver Neuville has been a consistent goal scorer in the Bundesliga for many years with clubs Hansa Rostock, Bayer Leverkusen and most recently Borrussia Mönchengladbach. A deceptively fast and dangerous striker, Neuville hits opposing teams when they least expect it or are expecting something completely different. Somewhat of an anomaly in the attacking stakes, Neuville is a self-less team player who is as much a provider as a finisher. Deployed in the starting line-up or brought on as a dangerous substitute, Neuville can bring something very different to the Germany team.
Robert Huth
Robert Huth is known as "the Berlin Wall" by fans of his club side Chelsea. One look at the defender tells you why. Built like a 1.95 meter (6 foot 4) tall construction worker, Huth is an imposing presence in the center of defense. Despite lacking the finesse of some of his colleagues, Huth's no-nonsense tackling and heading ability makes him a solid addition to any backline. Moving from FC Union Berlin to the English champions in 2001 was a brave move and one which has been rewarded with a place in the German international set-up.
Marcell Jansen
Marcell Jansen is another useful and youthful debutant in the German defense. The World Cup will provide the youngster with his first taste competitive action in the white of Germany less that a year after making his international debut. In fact, it has been only 18 months since Jansen made his Bundesliga debut. The promising left side defender with clever feet and head to match will provide cover for Philipp Lahm during the tournament.
David Odonkor
The major surprise in Jürgen Klinsmann's squad for the 2006 World Cup was the call up of the Borussia Dortmund midfielder. Odonkor was a prodigy when he joined the club and won a Bundesliga championship medal in his first season but then went on to be sidelined by a knee injury. His return to fitness and form led to his call-up to the Germany Under-21 side. Thought to be the fastest player in the Bundesliga, Odonkor can play on either flank of the midfield or up front as a center forward.
Tim Borowski
Attack-minded and a prolific scorer from midfield, Tim Borowski provides Germany with an extra option in the search for goals. The Bremen midfielder has a reputation for adaptability and can play in a number of roles across the middle of the team or as support to the attack as a deep striker. Jürgen Klinsmann is happy to have a player of Borowski's talent in reserve in case anything happens to playmaker Michael Ballack.
Torsten Frings
Torsten Frings has had a taste of the Bundesliga high life with a number of the league's top clubs. Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen -- twice -- and Bayern Munich have all enjoyed the tenacity and versatility Frings adds to a team whether it be as a defensive midfielder or playmaker. A World Cup runner-up, Frings was often deployed as a right back in Rudi Völler's reign but has been returned to his favored central defensive midfield role under Jürgen Klinsmann. Despite a trophy laden spell with Bayern, Frings stayed for only one season and returned to Bremen in 2005, a move which coincided with a return to form and international favor.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger is one of the young colts on which many of Germany's World Cup hopes are resting. Endless running and sacrifice during the ill-fated Euro 2004 campaign endeared "Schweini" to the fans. Fast, technically gifted and full of energy, Schweinsteiger has the ability to surprise and create in ways almost alien to the traditional blueprint of a German midfielder. If he was Brazilian, there would be a lot more of a fuss made about him. But the Bayern Munich star is German born and bred; good news for fans of the host nation.
Mike Hanke
Another of Germany's young guns, Mike Hanke brings something of the unpredictable to the list of strikers. A player with a fiery temperament, Hanke is a fighter who can wrestle a game from an opponent with his presence and cause problems for defenders all over the pitch. Used sparingly, Hanke could prove to be the ace up Jürgen Klinsmann's sleeve as he showed in the Confederations Cup when he was brought on in games when Germany needed to up the tempo. Hanke developed as striker with Schalke 04 with whom he made his debut in 2001 but swapped to VfL Wolfsburg after four years in Gelsenkirchen.
Jens Nowotny
Jens Nowotny knows everything about second chances. A stalwart of the national team, the Bayern Leverkusen defensive mainstay has stared retirement in the face many times due to a succession of injuries but has bounced back every time. His return to fitness and form has been rewarded with a place in Jürgen Klinsmann's squad for the World Cup and the experienced 32-year-old could be called upon at time when the youngsters need an old hand to steady the ship.