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Germany National Under-21 Football Team




  Badge
  Nickname -
  Association Deutscher Fußball-Bund
  Coach Dieter Eilts (2004-)
  Captain Eugen Polanski
  Most Caps Michael Zepek 50 Games
  Top Scorer Erdal Kilicaslan 32 Goals
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  First Game '''U-23:''' Turkey 0-2 West Germany<br> Ankara , October 18, 1970
  Largest Win '''U-23:''' West Germany 3-0 Turkey<br> Augsburg , April 24, 1971<br>
  Largest Loss '''U-23:''' USSR 3-1 West Germany<br> Yerevan , April 29, 1972<br>
  UEFAu21Champ Apps 6
  UEFAu21Champ First 1982
  UEFAu21Champ Best Runners-up 1982


The Germany national under-21 football team represents the under-21s of Germany in the UEFA U-21 Championship , and is controlled by the German Football Association , the governing body of football in Germany.

Before the reunification of Germany, East Germany and West Germany played as separate entities - the two teams played separately until summer 1990. Following the realignment of UEFA 's youth competitions in 1976, international Under-21 football in Europe began. However, a West German team did not compete in the U-21 European Championship until the qualifying round (beginning in 1980) of the 1982 competition.

West Germany competed in the first two under-23 competitions, which finished in 1972 and 1974. The first under-21 competition finals were in 1978, and since the under-21 competition rules state that players must be 21 or under at the start ot a two year competition, technically it is an U-23 competition.

The current Germany team can be legitimately considered as the current incarnation of the West German team, since the West Germany Flag , uniform and football association all became those of the unified Germany. In effect, the West German team absorbed the East German Team to become 'the Germany national under-21 football team'.

For these reasons, the record of West Germany for the U-23 and U-21 competitions is shown below.


UEFA U-23 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD

Competing as West Germany:
  • 1972: Losing quarter-finalists.

  • 1974: Did not qualify. Finished 2nd of 3 in qualification group.

  • 1976: Did not enter.

  • UEFA U-21 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD

Competing as West Germany:
  • 1978: Did not enter.

  • 1980: Did not enter.

  • 1982: Runners-up.

  • 1984: Losing semi-finalists.

  • 1986: Did not qualify. Finished 3rd of 4 in qualification group.

  • 1988: Losing quarter-finalists.

  • 1990: Losing quarter-finalists.

  • Competing as unified Germany:

  • 1992: Losing quarter-finalists.

  • 1994: Did not qualify. Finished 2nd of 5 in qualification group.

  • 1996: Losing quarter-finalists.

  • 1998: Losing quarter-finalists.

  • 2000: Did not qualify. Finished 2nd of 5 in qualification group. Were 9th best runner-up (top 7 qualified for playoffs)

  • 2002: Did not qualify. Finished 3rd of 5 in qualification group.

  • 2004: Finished 3rd of 4 in finals group.

  • 2006: Finished 3rd of 4 in finals group.

  • 2007: Did not qualify. Losing to England in playoff for Final Tournament



CURRENT SQUAD

Players born in 1986 or later are eligible for the 2007-09 UEFA European U-21 Championship , 1988 or later are eligible for the 2009-11 UEFA European U-21 Championship and so on. The Under-19 team will be the most obvious source of the next crop of Under-21s.
Players in bold have already been called up to the Senior Team .


Current squad

Squad called up for the European Championship Qualifier against Northern Ireland on September 7 and the friendly against Sweden on September 11 , 2007 .
Note: Gonzalo Castro was only called up for the game against Northern Ireland and will join the Senior Team thereafter.