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Advantage for Messi and Neymar

Which players will make their mark at the World Cup in Qatar? Oliver Bierhoff counts on superstars. The mid-season date suits the best players, believes the DFB director.

The unusual mid-season World Cup date plays into the hands of the football industry’s best. At least that’s what ex-national player Oliver Bierhoff expects. I think for superstars, let’s take a Lionel Messi, for example, or Kylian Mbappé or Neymar, this World Cup is an asset, said the DFB director at the German training area in Al-Shamal.

You’ve seen in the past that they were exhausted at the end of the season because they’re players who have a lot of dates, media dates, PR dates. I often had the impression that at the end of the season these players didn’t enjoy the World Cup very much and couldn’t give more,” said Bierhoff, who was vice world champion with the DFB team in 2002.

The World Cup in Qatar, which began on Sunday with the match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador, will run until December 18 due to extremely high summer temperatures in the Persian Gulf. The European leagues halt gaming operations for the tournament. The World Cup is usually played in June and July.

From Bierhoff’s point of view, the date also suits the German team. We are happy to have players who all come from a successful period, Bierhoff said before the start of Wednesday’s DFB-Elf (2pm / ARD & MagentaTV) at the Chalifa International Stadium against Japan. We have players who have been successful in the Champions League, who have played well in the league, so I’m optimistic about our squad. Feedback from fitness trainers and physios is that everyone is in very good shape, added the 54-year-old.

Things looked different in September, when FC Bayern Munich players in particular were in a creative crisis. We talked about Bayern Munich during their last international away game, which had an effect, Bierhoff recalled the last games in the Nations League, when the group victory was lost 0-1 against Hungary and a prestigious success failed with a 3-3 victory in England. At the World Cup, the seven players of the German record champions around the veterans Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller and the young star Jamal Musiala form the largest club contingent in the DFB selection.

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