Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has stirred controversy with a social media post on X that praised the German national football team after their World Cup exit in Boston on Monday. The team lost to Paraguay in a penalty shootout, marking the first time Germany has been eliminated from a World Cup via penalties. Merz wrote: “Even though going out hurts: what a match. With your commitment and team spirit at this World Cup, you have thrilled our country. We are proud of you.”
The reaction was swift and critical. Comedian Oliver Pocher, commenting on Merz's Instagram post, wrote: “I hope the account has been hacked. But that fits the situation in this country.” He added that there was “nothing to be glossed over” about the defeat, calling it a “catastrophic performance.” Pocher questioned how Merz could assess other issues if he misjudged the public mood so badly.
Captain Kimmich's Honest Assessment
Germany captain Joshua Kimmich offered a far more sober evaluation. “I know Germany from television when I was a child, it was always semi-finals, finals,” he said. “Of course you want to be able to give that to the children and to people and to the current generation as well, and the fact is that we couldn't give that to all the people back home. That is very, very sad, especially at a time when it would do us extremely good in Germany to have something we can be proud of. The national team unfortunately isn't that, and we all bear responsibility for it.”
The Bayern Munich midfielder did not mince words: “We players who were out on the pitch messed this up. It wasn't the coach, it wasn't the media, it wasn't the referee and it wasn't the opposition, it was us and us alone.”
Fans on X largely echoed Kimmich's frustration. The performance against Paraguay was widely described as poor, and the penalty shootout defeat compounded the disappointment. Germany's exit follows a group-stage elimination at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, raising questions about the team's trajectory under coach Julian Nagelsmann.
International media were equally unimpressed. Spanish sports daily Marca wrote: “Germany is no longer Germany. At two consecutive World Cups they have gone out in the group stage – an unprecedented feat. (...) As we said: Germany is no longer what it once was.” Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport called it a “Flop Germany. Nagelsmann failure.”
German tabloid Bild summed up the chancellor's post bluntly: “Merz makes himself look ridiculous with his posting.” Even Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) weighed in with a similarly offbeat take, though his remarks drew less attention.
The episode has reignited debate about the national team's role in German society. At a time when the country faces economic headwinds and political uncertainty, many had hoped the World Cup might provide a unifying moment. Instead, the early exit has deepened a sense of malaise. For Merz, the misjudged post risks reinforcing perceptions that he is out of touch with the public mood.
Germany's World Cup campaign will now be dissected in the coming weeks, with Nagelsmann's tactics and squad selection under scrutiny. The team's next competitive fixtures are not until September, leaving a long summer for reflection.
