Germany’s recent World Cup results have been historically bad. The country may have won the World Cup in 2014. That was over a decade ago, however, and also the last time Germany have made it past the group stages of the tournament. Both 018 and 2022 ended in humiliating early exits, so many Germany fans, hurt by those losses and deflated by Germany’s recent uninspiring form, have lowered their expectations. Making it past the group stages for the first time in a long while is the priority for them.
But Jonathan Tah sees it differently. The Germany international spoke to German news site Abendzeitung and explained that he did not want to set his sights on a low target: “For me, it makes absolutely no sense to participate in a tournament and say: We want to reach the quarterfinals. And I also believe that we have the quality to do so in the team. We’re looking forward to our group opponents and are confident enough to say: We can achieve something at the World Cup.”
The recent Bayern Munich summer signing may have evaded the headline inducing quote of “we want to win the World Cup”, but his interview savvily still carried that message. Tah has not participated in a World Cup for Germany prior and will be 34 by the time the 2030 World Cup rolls around. Clearly, he wants to ensure he has no regrets.
