One of the potential highlights of this World Cup is the Boateng brothers story. Kevin Prince Boateng and Jerome Boateng could meet each other when Ghana and Germany take to the field on June 23 in Johannesburg’s Soccer City. A match that should be keenly followed by not just national supporters but those who care about why football is truly the sport of the world.
The brothers were raised in Germany by a common father, a Ghanian emigre who came to that country in the 1970s. The 2010 World Cup presented both brothers with a choice. Kevin Prince decided to switch allegiance to the country of his origin while Jerome was attached to his country of domicile.
Jogi Low’s provisional World Cup squad included the Borussia Dortmund defender which keeps the story on track.
He is however not the only player of different origin who gets a call up. Cacau, the Brazilian born striker for VfB Stuttgart has been included. His team mates, midfielder Sami Khedira and defender Serdar Tasci, have Tunisian and Turkish parents, respectively. Werder Bremen’s midfielder Mesut Özil is also Turkish in origin.
Dennis Aogo, of Hamburg, a U21 standout included for the first time has Nigerian parents and for a considerable period of time was courted by Shaibu Amodu to play for Nigeria in the World Cup but Aogo turned him down.
Then there are others like Lukas Podolksi, Piotr Trochowski, Mario Gomez, and Marko Marin who are not Germans by birth but have other European origins.
Both Podolski and Klose have made it on reputation although their domestic form has been horribly off this season. Low also included Thomas Mueller having a dream debut at Bayern, including a recent hat trick against VfL Bochum that all but assured them of the title.
Mueller’s team mate, defender Holger Badstuber another young gun gives the German squad a balance of youth and experience. Per Mertesacker, Werder Bremen’s giant central defender was retained but his regular partner Christoph Metzelder suffering the consequence of very little representation at Real Madrid was left out. Michael Ballack, whose East German roots are well known is also set to make it to South Africa for his third World Cup. With all the players home picked, he remains the only exception. In fact, it highlights how little Germany is represented outside the Bundesliga.
The squad also shows a top heavy Bayern representation with seven current players and three alumni.
A big disappointment was Rene Adler, the highly regarded Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper whose rib injury sidelined him as he failed to make the cut.
Goalkeepers: Joerg Butt (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Schalke), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
Defenders: Dennis Aogo (Hamburger SV), Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim), Jerome Boateng (Hamburger SV), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Marcell Jansen (Hamburger SV), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Serdar Tasci (Stuttgart), Heiko Westermann (Schalke)
Midfielders: Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Sami Khedira (Stuttgart), Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen), Mesut Oezil (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Christian Traesch (Stuttgart), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV)
Forwards: Cacau (Stuttgart), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Stefan Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen), Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Cologne)