Stefan Effenberg Criticizes Germany: "We Are No Longer A Top Team, We Need Bold Decisions"
July 1, 2026 · Global
Stefan Effenberg criticized the German national team following its elimination from the World Cup, calling for change and an emphasis on young players.
Stefan Effenberg provides sharp analysis of Germany's elimination from the 2026 World Cup after losing to Paraguay. In his column, the former midfielder did not hesitate to express his concerns about the current state of German football and called for drastic changes from coach Julian Nagelsmann and the DFB. Effenberg said, "Germany has returned to reality very hard," in the media SportBild. According to him, the defeat in the penalty shootout against Paraguay was a "real disaster" not only for the team and coach, but also for the entire German football movement.
Although Effenberg criticized the referee's decision to overturn Jonathan Tah's goal, he stressed that it was not the main cause of the elimination. According to him, Germany should have finished the match long before that and must be responsible for defensive mistakes and inability to attack despite dominating possession of the ball. Effenberg said that the overall quality of the squad is currently the main problem: "We don't have the players who can make a difference like France, Argentina, Spain or England do."
Therefore, Effenberg invited Nagelsmann to start a new phase, more boldly giving opportunities to young talents and immediately establishing credible engineering projects. He also suggested that Jonas Urbig be given full trust as the main goalkeeper, closing the chapter on senior goalkeepers, as well as providing more space for young players such as Lennart Karl, Nathaniel Brown, Malick Thiaw and Saïd El Mala. "The fans want to see a clear project for the future," stressed Effenberg, convinced that only with a bold rejuvenation can Germany return to competing at the highest level.