As times change.
Not so long ago, facing Germany in a big international competition would have petrified us with fear.
The bitter failures of Seville during the 1982 World Cup, Guadalajara during the following edition in 1986 in Mexico or even Rio de Janeiro in 2014 are etched in our memories.
These decisive meetings with our dear neighbors have often left us with a bitter taste.
They also gave weight to this formula, not funny at all: “In the end, it's always Germany who wins. In fact, beating the Mannschaft (the German team's nickname) had come to seem as impossible as competing with Mercedes or BMW in global auto markets. We ended up falling victim to a real inferiority complex. Fortunately, it is easier to change the course of things on a football pitch than in the economic battle.
The proof ? A first turning point took place in 2016 during the Euro organized in France. Mbappé was not there yet but, with Griezmann and Pogba, the Blues of Deschamps finally eliminated Germany in the semi-finals of the competition. They went on to win the World Cup in Moscow while Germany miserably disappeared in the first round. This Tuesday evening in Munich, it is our opponents who will be afraid. This in no way prejudges the result, but it's already been won.
