“The Netherlands deservedly won, they played the best football in Europe”

He kept all 105 of them. In a large display case in his house in Bonn, all the jerseys he wore during his international matches for (West) Germany are displayed. “I never gave away a shirt. They have a special value to me. My medals, cups and certificates are also there,” says Kohler in the big EURO 2024 Special from ELF Voetbal, which was published last week and is conveniently available online via this link can be ordered. We spoke extensively with the winner of three German national titles, an Italian championship, Champions League, UEFA Cup, World Cup for Club Teams, three German DFB Pokals, Coppa Italia and elections for Footballer of the Year in Germany and Italy. And of course the world championship in 1990.

“I have Marco van Basten’s shirt that he wore during our match at the World Cup. Exchanged it afterwards. Fortunately, we received two shirts for each match, so I still have my shirt from the first half. I also have Marco’s shirt from AC Milan Just like Ruud Gullit’s and, I think, Frank Rijkaard’s. I don’t know what my children (see box, ed.) plan to do later, but I will never give up my collection as long as I live Which prize am I most proud of? I was a professional footballer for twenty years. I was able to turn my hobby into my profession and experienced many wonderful moments.

He is now 58 years old. Retired football player for almost 22 years now. But the memories in his head still seem fresh. With the European Championship in their own country around the corner, they automatically go to the previous continental final on German soil. In 1988, Germany emerged as the big favourite. The team of the late national coach Franz Beckenbauer had lost the World Cup final to Diego Maradona’s Argentina two years earlier. Strongmen such as Lothar Matthäus, Jürgen Klinsmann and Rudi Völler had more experience and wanted to give the home crowd its third European title.

The group stage was won. West Germany only conceded a goal against Italy. A semi-final immediately followed with eight participants. Opponent: the Dutch national team. “It seemed like you were playing at home in Hamburg that evening,” says Kohler, who played for 1. FC Köln at the time. “The support from the Netherlands was overwhelming. Everywhere I looked, I saw orange. We knew in advance that we would have a tough time. We knew the rivalry between the two countries. We had been warned, but you had a great day. The start of the golden generation that achieved success between 1988 and 1996. The best generation that the Netherlands has ever produced. Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard; they were extraordinary, but don’t forget goalkeeper Hans van Breukelen, the Koeman brothers and an important force like Jan Wouters. “

The first two goals came from penalties. With Matthäus and Ronald Koeman as accurate specialists. “Both penalties were unjustified,” Kohler looks back now. The Dutch penalty was awarded after a duel between Kohler and Van Basten. “Marco fell, got back up and laughed when the referee blew his whistle. I don’t blame him. I just appreciate his class. Look at that 1-2. How he cleverly ran away from me just before the end, created space and slid in that pass from Wouters World class. Frustrated? No, in my case it was over. They deserved it. They played the best football in Europe, a fact that could not be discussed. That was top level.”

“The Soviet Union was not involved in the final. They didn’t stand a chance. And Marco… what a fantastic goal from the edge of the sixteen. The Dutch team were unstoppable during that European Championship. After the tournament I went on holiday to Texel with my wife. A beautiful island. We hardly have a beach there. We went cycling there. Of course, I was fully recognised congratulations to the Dutch on their title win.”

In the interview, Jürgen Kohler also looks back on the 1990 World Cup, when West Germany got revenge, on the 1992 European Championship when the Dutch team was the opponent in the group stage, he explains why he stopped as an international after the 1998 World Cup, his expectations about the upcoming European Championship in Germany, his bond with the Netherlands, his current job and company, his desire to return to the football world, appreciation for the Dutch football school and the 2002 UEFA Cup final against Feyenoord, in which he received a red card received, offered.

The full interview with Jürgen Kohler can be read in the big EURO 2024 Special of ELF Voetbal, number 4 of this calendar year. Everything about next summer’s European title battle in Germany. We discuss all 24 participants based on a fixed pattern. Interviews with three World Champions and three European Champions. Frenchman David Trezeguet won both tournaments. In addition to Kohler, Philipp Lahm (2014) was crowned the world’s best. Jan Wouters and Nol de Ruiter, Rinus Michels’ right-hand man, won the 1988 European Championship with the Dutch team. In addition, conversations with Tim de Cler, who experienced a World Cup and European Championship and is now a pub owner, Dutch tormentor Michael Krohn-Dehli, Mats Wieffer who would like to experience his first final tournament next summer and with Harry Goudsblom alias De Tietenman, an Oranje fan through and through.

The big EURO 2024 Special from ELF Voetbal has automatically arrived on the doorstep of subscribers. The edition is also available at well-known sales points. Think of the supermarkets, the (office) bookstores and the travel locations. Schiphol, Eindhoven Airport, Rotterdam The Hague Airport and the NS train stations. The edition can also easily be ordered online. This can be done in no time via this link. A subscription is completely easy. Every edition automatically delivered to your letterbox. Closed via this link. Choose your welcome gift! Enjoy reading!