German FAZ: Enthusiasm alone is not enough in the long run007258

The year 1954 was long before my time. The German footballers achieved the sensation: world champions! The reception at home was overwhelming for Fritz Walter & Co. “We are someone again,” they said. Nine years after the end of the war, there was something to celebrate again and above all: international recognition. The first World Cup title was a consolation for the soul of an economically battered and internationally ostracized country.
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