There is no doubt that captaining a national team is one of the greatest honours that can be bestowed on a footballer, one made all the more impressive if it takes place at a FIFA World Cup?. That feeling of pride must be greater still for any player who gets to pull on the armband at a World Cup Opening Match, cheapest fifa 16 accounts especially when that means leading out the hosts. This dream became a reality for Germany’s Bernd Schneider, even if his appointment came as something of a surprise. “I knew [then Germany captain] Michael Ballack wasn’t completely fit,” he said while recalling the eve of the 2006 World Cup in an interview with FIFA.“At some point the coach came to me and said that I’d be captaining the side the next day. Naturally that made me very proud.” What followed was one of his fondest footballing memories - a 4-2 win over Costa Rica - and the start of Germany’s summer fairytale. “It was the kind of experience you never forget.”
Just a few weeks later, the midfielder learned first-hand just how quickly delight can turn to disappointment. He ranks his team’s 2-0 semi-final defeat by Italy as among the worst moments of his career, particularly as he had an opportunity to change the course of the game. “I had a good chance to score the opening goal but couldn’t get the ball under control,” the now 41-year-old admitted, recalling the incident midway through the first half in Dortmund with total clarity. He has similarly bitter recollections of the 2002 Final loss to Brazil. “It could all have played out so differently,” he said, albeit without a hint of remorse.
Schneider believes his side’s failure against the eventual world champions eight years ago was even worse than the Brazilians’ 7-1 collapse against Germany last summer. “Our loss to Italy in 2006 was tougher to take; at least this time the result was clear,” he explained. “There’s no doubt that it hurts to go out of a World Cup in your own country at the semi-final stage. Like Brazil, we were aiming to reach the Final back then and unfortunately we didn’t manage it, but it’s definitely more frustrating to receive that knockout blow in extra time.”
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