Germany’s race of 20 years without losing a World Cup qualifier ended abruptly when they were stunned 2-1 by minnows Northern Macedonia.
Last time they lost at that stage? Well, that just happened when England went up to Munich and roared to a dominant 5-1 victory with the permission of a hat-trick from Michael Owen and goals from Steven Gerrard and Emile Heskey in September 2001.
Let’s see where that Germany side is today.
Oliver KahnKahn is one of the best goalkeepers in the history of Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Known as the best goalkeeper in the world at the time, this game was a horror show for Bayern Munich legend Kahn, who made mistake after mistake and mistake to give England one of the most routine victories in their history.
Fortunately, it was just a blip in an otherwise famous career. Kahn spent another seven years as Bayern’s number one and won four of his eight Bundesliga titles after this game before hanging up his boots in 2008.
Immediately after retirement, Kahn became an expert on German television, but he returned to football by joining the Bavarian board in 2020. He will replace Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as CEO in 2022.
Christian WornsWorns line up for Germany | PATRICK KOVARIK / Getty Images
Nine years deep into his international career at the time, Borussia Dortmund hero Worns was sacrificed at half-time by him in a failed attempt to give Germany a much-needed boost.
He retired from Dortmund in 2008 and has since turned his focus to youth management. Worst has spent time with the likes of Schalke and Augsburg and is currently in charge of Germany’s under 19 side.
Jens NowotnyNowotny during his time with Leverkusen | Stuart Franklin / Getty Images
Worns’ partner-in-crime earlier in his career with Bayer Leverkusen, a 32-year-old Nowotny joined Dinamo Zagreb in July 2006. Tragically, he had to retire just six months later after picking up a knee injury only ten matches into his Dinamo career.
Nowotny, who holds the record for most red cards in Bundesliga history with eight, became an agent after retiring.
Thomas LinkeLinke had success with Bayern | Stuart Franklin / Getty Images
An important part of Bayern’s success between 1998 and 2005, Linke actually withdrew from international service 18 months after losing to England, only to be lured back to the pitch two years later for a single night-como.
Since he hung up his boots, Linke has been in the boardroom on a handful of pages. He was RB Leipzig’s sports director for a few months in 2011, but he had a few years of success at the helm in Ingolstadt.
Marko RehmerMarko Rehmer | Mark Thompson / Getty Images
A solid, unspectacular right-back, Rehmer is best known for his time with Hertha between 1999 and 2005, where the injury problems that would finally end his career in 2007 first began to appear.
Like Nowotny, Rehmer became an agent after his playing days were over and he has also run camps for young players in Berlin.
Michael BallackBallack had just started | Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
This guy was pretty okay.
Ballack just hit his top in 2001 and bounced back with three Bundesliga titles with Bayern and the Premier League title 2009/10 with Chelsea before retiring with Leverkusen in 2012.
Now more of a TV presence, Ballack is preparing for a return to football and studying for his UEFA B license.
Dietmar HamannHamann was popular in Liverpool | Gary M. Prior / Getty Images
He grew to a famous name in Liverpool at the time was Hamann, who spent time at the books of Bolton, Manchester City and MK Dons before ending his career in 2011.
The former midfielder had a brief spell as manager of Stockport County in 2011, but after that failed, his public appearances have tended to come as a TV expert.
Jorg BohmeBohme fights with Michael Owen | Ben Radford / Getty Images
Bohme had only two lids to his name when England came to town, and he would only succeed seven more after the talks stopped coming.
The dynamic left-back retired in 2008 and has since remained in coaching, dipping in and out of youth football. Bohme is currently in charge of Zwickaus under 19-page.
Sebastian DeislerDeisler fights with Steven Gerrard | Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
That day was Deisler, whose career at the highest level ended before it even began.
He moved to Bayern in 2002 but managed to play 90 games for the club for almost five years, as injuries and mental problems took Deisler’s confidence hard and led to his retirement in 2007.
Sebastian KehlKehl in action for Germany | Tom Shaw / Getty Images
Another of those who has only played two appearances before, the second half substitute Kehl continued to enjoy a little longer in the Germany setup and ended his career with 32 internationals.
At club level, a move to Dortmund in 2002 would stop defining Kehl’s career. He spent 13 years with BVB, and after a three-year break, he returned to the club as their manager for the first team’s football in 2018.
Carsten JanckerJancker opened the scoring Clive Mason / Getty Images
It was Jancker who opened the scoring after just six minutes with a smart finish. The striker enjoyed the best period of his career with Bayern at the time and won his fourth Bundesliga title in 2001, before having spells in Italy, China and back in Germany.
After retiring in 2010, he immediately became a youth coach in Austria, with his last position coming with the Marchfeld Danube.
Oliver NeuvilleNeuville was involved in the opener | Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
A few years into his most famous time with Leverkusen at the time, Neuville soon continued to spend six years with Borussia Mönchengladbach, before calling it quit in 2010 at the age of 37.
Neuville also went into coaching and initially started with Gladbach’s under-19 installation, and he is now an assistant to first team manager Marco Rose.
Gerald AsamoahAsamoah made history in Germany | Clive Mason / Getty Images
Thrown on at half-time in an attempt to turn things around, Asamoah was on the pitch as Germany delivered three unanswered goals. Yikes.
The first African-born player to ever represent Germany, Asamoah spent almost his entire playing career at Schalke, and he is still tied to the club to this day. He has had spells as marketing manager and youth team manager, and he was even temporarily promoted to the first team in 2019. Nowadays he is “coordinator for the first team’s football”.
Miroslav KloseA young Klose in action | TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / Getty Images
You’ve probably heard of this guy.
In 2001, Klose blossomed into the goal-scoring machine that we would all get to know and love. He was at Kaiserslautern at the time but earned a move to Werder Bremen in 2004, after which he got successful spells with Bayern and Lazio.
After retiring in 2016, Klose also turned to management. He cut his teeth as an assistant with the German national team before returning to Bayern, where he currently works as an assistant for the first team.
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