For millennials and Gen-X, two words captured German football: “winning mentality”. If it were a pop franchise today it could have been called ‘The Vile and the Victorious’. “Football is a simple game,” said England striker Gary Linekar, “22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win.” Then, in the late-1990s, the German national team stopped winning; its style remained ugly.
The German Football Association initiated a ground-up reboot around 2003, creating the world’s best coaching and youth development system. The result: an assembly line of talented young players groomed in an attractive style. Germany reached the Euro ’08 final. At the 2010 World Cup (WC), they knocked out England 4-0 and Argentina 4-1. They won in 2014, dismantling Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final. German football had turned ‘Schön and Siegreich’. That marvellous assembly line was going to churn out lovable champions forever. But did it?
In the past three World Cups, Germany has not reached the Round of 16. They lost their first penalty shootout in World Cup history on 26 June 2026, in their first knockout match against Paraguay (FIFA rank 41).
In fact, planned development of young footballers had taken another hit a few hours before this defeat when Japan lost 1-2 to Brazil. The Japanese Football Association (JFA) in 2005 created an impressive youth development programme. Its Vision 2050 Declaration said: “To become the happiest country in the world through football. Towards realising dreams. To lift the World Cup trophy”. Really, Borat could’ve written it.
A few hours after Germany’s penalty elimination, Morocco knocked out the Netherlands, which has the greatest youth development programme of all. Beginning 1965, AFC Ajax of Amsterdam coach Rinus Michels created a system of youth development that made the club European champions. That same system took the Dutch to two World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978, when it got the name ‘Total Football’. It became a factory producing outstanding technical players for decades. From Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens, to Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Dennis Bergkamp.
These days, however, the Dutch national team is known for its string of imposing defenders. When Michels and Cruyff moved to Barcelona, they created a youth development programme that led to Spain’s remarkable success of 2008-2012. But that period did not last, too.
Such youth development is often mocked in comparison to South American countries, where a lot of children grow up playing football in the streets. There, they develop guile and individual skills all their own. No elite academy can create a Ronaldihno or Messi or Vinicius Jr; it can only polish their ability, provide better physical training and injury recovery. Latin America is a different ballgame.
But France? It has emerged as a powerhouse since its first victory in 1998. It won 2018 and lost the final in 2022. The numerous talented players they have left out of the squad could walk into any other team. France can send three teams capable of winning the cup. And it doesn’t have a youth development system worth speaking of. So what explains the terrifying power of France’s current attacking players?
Kylian Mbappe’s father was a football coach and his mother, also his agent, was a handball player. Ousmane Dembele began football at 13. Michael Olise grew up in England. Desire Doue comes from an uncelebrated academy in Rennes. Bradley Barcola comes from a small town in Lyon. N’golo Kante, perhaps the finest defensive midfielder of his generation, was rejected by several clubs who thought he was too small in size. These talents have come up on their own steam; what they do and how they play is all their own, along with their ability to spring surprises. Knitted together, it is a fearsome team impossible to read for the opponents.
What France does have, though, is Didier Deschamps, captain of the 1998 champion team; he has been France’s manager for 12 years. His methods are stodgy, conservative and practical; his personnel management is sound. That’s ideal for international football. Players report to the national team for very short periods, playing for their clubs for the most part.
What does Germany have? Several technically adept players who are highly successful in their clubs but who think and play in predictable ways for the national team. That was the long-standing script of English teams. Loaded with Premier League stars, they disappointed competition after international competition. The current English manager, Thomas Tuchel, has taken a break from that. He has left out a string of technically gifted passers to their clubs, opting for more decisively direct players.
It seems academies and youth development programmes work well when you have an existing pool of talent. But coaching centres do not generate genius. No, that comes from the playground, from unplanned play, from running outside the ruts. From the unpredictability of life.
Sopan Joshi is an independent journalist.