Germany

Germany

Nickname: Die Mannschaft (The Team)

Icons: Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Lothar Matthaus, Jurgen Klinsmann, Miroslav Klose

World Cup victories: 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014

Top scorers

# Player Goals Caps

1 Miroslav Klose 71 137

2 Gerd Muller 68 62

3 Lukas Podolski 49 130

4 Rudi Voller 47 90

Jurgen Klinsmann 47 108

6 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 45 95

7 Uwe Seeler 43 72

8 Michael Ballack 42 98

9 Thomas Muller 38 90

10 Oliver Bierhoff 37 70

Germany facts:

• In the last 16 World Cup tournaments, Germany has always reached at least the stage of the last eight teams.

• Has also qualified for every one of the 18 World Cups for which it has entered - it did not enter the inaugural competition in Uruguay of 1930 for economic reasons.

• Could not qualify for or compete in the post World War Two 1950 World Cup as the German Football Association was reinstated as a FIFA member only two months after this tournament.

• Has highest Elo football rating of all time (2205) following their victory in the 2014 World Cup