Klinsmann honoured in Germany
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Article summary
Jürgen Klinsmann will receive the Federal Cross of Merit, his country's only peacetime decoration, for leading Germany at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals.
Article body
Jürgen Klinsmann will receive the Federal Cross of Merit, his nation's only peacetime decoration, for leading Germany at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals.
Famous predecessors
The 42-year-old took over after UEFA EURO 2004™, guiding the national team to a third-placed finish at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup and then earning another bronze medal at the World Cup on home soil. He will be presented with another medal, by German chancellor Angela Merkel, for his achievements with 'die Mannschaft'. Some 210,000 Germans have been awarded the Federal Cross of Merit since its introduction in 1951, including Sepp Herberger, coach of West Germany's 1954 World Cup-winning team, Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Fritz Walter and Otto Rehhagel. Klinsmann stepped down after last summer's showpiece, leaving his assistant Joachim Löw at the helm.
