Germany’s stunning World Cup defeat against South Korea on Wednesday has shocked Germans, caused great excitement in Mexico and grand amusement around the world. But there’s a simple cause for the German failure: The players didn’t read their Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
Specifically, “Der gescheite Hans” or “Clever Hans.”
The tale speaks of a young man, Hans, as he attempts to retain the affections of his bride, Gretel. Like Germany in this World Cup, Hans has good prospect of success, but he somehow manages to screw it up at nearly every opportunity. He does so by misunderstanding and thus wasting six separate gifts from Gretel and finally losing her affections.
Germany has rendered itself the soccer incarnation of Hans.
The German squad had the skills, ambition, and respect of its opponents. But like Hans, what Germany had in potential, it lacked in understanding. The Germans failed to realize that just as every gift mattered for Hans, every goal and game matters in the pursuit of glory. It was not enough to beat the best team in Group F, Sweden, by two goals to one. Germany had to take every gift or opportunity as if it were the last.
But it didn’t, and so the defending champion, a nation that has reached the World Cup semi-final a stunning eight times and won the tournament four times, is heading home.
Still, for England fans, Germany’s traditional rival on and off the field (at least, the field of soccer…), this is a day to celebrate. But perhaps no more so than for England’s current coach, Gareth Southgate. As a player in the 1996 European Championship semi-final, Southgate missed a penalty, breaking a ten-year-old Tom Rogan’s heart, and sending Germany through to win the tournament against the Czech Republic.
Today, via Hans, Southgate’s 1996 ghost has its revenge, and Southgate’s 2018 squad has an opportunity to win the World Cup for the first time since 1966.
