Das Reboot

Book excerpt: "A beautiful story, expertly told." -- Per Mertesacker, Arsenal defender and member of the German national team, winners of the 2014 World Cup Estáo do Maracan", July 13, 2014, the last ten minutes of extra time in the World Cup Final: German forward Mario Gö jumps to meet a floated pass from Andr' Schü cushions the ball with his chest, and in one fluid motion volleys the ball past the onrushing Argentine goalkeeper into the far corner of the net. The goal wins Germany the World Cup for the first time in almost thirty years. As the crowd roars, Gö looks dazed, unable to comprehend what he has done. In Das Reboot, Raphael Honigstein charts the return of German soccer from the dreary functionality of the late 1990s to Gö's moment of sublime, balletic genius and asks: How did this come about? The answer takes him from California to Stuttgart, from Munich to the Maracan", via Dortmund and Amsterdam. Packed with exclusive interviews with key figures, including JüKlinsmann, Thomas Mü Oliver Bierhoff, and many more, Honigstein's book reveals the secrets of German soccer's success.