As the match entered the 113th minute, the excitement inside the Maracana reached its peak. Andre Schurrle shifted into top gear on the left wing and, while still running at full pace, delivered an inch-perfect cross on to the chest of Mario Gotze inside the Argentina penalty area. The rest is history. Since setting up this winning goal in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ Final, the Germany attacker has experienced his fair share of change.
Today Schurrle, who turns 25 this Friday, remains one of the world champions’ key players whose athleticism and pace mark him out as a symbol of the dynamic new playing style championed by Joachim Low. Nevertheless, the likeable blond’s fortunes have been somewhat mixed since that day in Rio de Janeiro.
FIFA.com spoke exclusively with the Wolfsburg man about fulfilling his dreams in Brazil, his lofty ambitions for France 2016 and Russia 2018, as well as Germany’s less-than-straightforward quest to remain at the summit of the beautiful game.
FIFA.com: Andre, what was the first World Cup you were aware of as a child?
Andre Schurrle: (laughs) That was Korea/Japan 2002. I can still remember watching the Final between Germany and Brazil at home on the couch with my parents that day – and how upset I was after we lost.
Back then, did you dream of playing at a World Cup yourself one day – perhaps even in a World Cup Final? If so, did you dare to dream of winning it and setting up the decisive goal?You dream of all kinds of things as a kid, particularly when you see your idols on TV and imagine everything you could achieve. My biggest role model back then was Michael Ballack. My dream was always to first make football my career and perhaps even play for the national team, but I certainly didn’t go so far as to imagine that I’d set up the winning goal in a World Cup Final.
Although you have long been a well-established star of the game in Germany, most people abroad know you first and foremost as the man who provided the assist for Mario Gotze’s goal at the Maracana. Do you often think back to that moment?Of course! Without a shadow of a doubt, that moment and our subsequent World Cup victory were the biggest success of my career so far. The goal and assist are shown on TV quite often, so I certainly get reminded about it frequently. I’ll never forget those few seconds.
How has your life changed since 13 July 2014?There’s been a great deal more interest in me, including worldwide. People now recognise me immediately wherever I am, whether that’s in Germany or overseas. That’s definitely the biggest change I’ve noticed.
And how has winning the World Cup helped with your personal development?Playing in a World Cup Final helps you tremendously when it comes to dealing with pressure. Although there’s plenty at stake in every match, you have the assurance of knowing you’re able to withstand and successfully overcome the pressure that comes with playing in the biggest game football has to offer. This means you’re able to concentrate fully on the task in hand and not let yourself be ruffled by anything, even at the very highest level.
Nevertheless, not everything has gone exactly to plan in your career since then. How do you deal with experiencing lows again after such a major highlight?The period after the World Cup certainly didn’t pan out the way I’d hoped. Although I had a very good start to the season with Chelsea, things weren’t 100 per cent after that. By that winter I wanted to return to Germany and took that step by joining Wolfsburg. While it hasn’t been easy mentally, I still know my strengths and I know that if I can demonstrate them consistently out on the pitch, everything else will come back too.
What are your targets over the medium term?I noticed that I was only being used as an impact sub at Chelsea, so I took the opportunity to move to an extremely ambitious Bundesliga side in Wolfsburg. Now we want to try to be at the forefront of the league and play Champions League football every season. Although I think we’re on the right track, we still have plenty of work to do.
You are now familiar with both the English Premier League and the German Bundesliga…It’s always difficult to compare leagues with each other. In England they play a more intense and robust brand of football and you get an absolutely fantastic match every second or third week because there are more top-quality teams battling it out at the top. The situation’s a little different in Germany, where we have one of the best sides in the world in Bayern Munich plus several teams who can challenge them, but generally we don’t have as many world-class clubs who can perform at such a high level as in England.
Germany managed to secure qualification for UEFA EURO 2016 but not necessarily in the dominant way you might expect from the world champions. What improvements are still required before France 2016?We’ve just got to ensure that our key performers stay fit and that everyone finds good form on the way to France. If we can do that I’m sure we’ll find our true strengths again. We also lost three pillars of the team after the World Cup in Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker and Miroslav Klose, so there was a bit of rebuilding to be done first. That’s why it’s so important for us to stay true to our playing style now.
How does the character of the current team differ from the side that won in Brazil?We still have plenty of players with big personalities - I’m thinking primarily of Manuel Neuer and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who have already been playing at this top level for ages, as well as Thomas Muller, who’s an incredible guy. Then we’ve got a whole array of other world-class players such as Mats Hummels and Toni Kroos. I’m absolutely certain that when push comes to shove, we’ll show once again that we’re capable of playing top-class football.
How would you assess your individual role within the Germany squad?I’m confident that Joachim Low trusts me because he knows what I can do. Right now I sometimes start matches and sometimes come on as an impact sub, but I feel very comfortable with that and will always be there when the coach needs me.
What further developments, both in terms of play and tactics, do you envisage for the national team?We need fresh impetus, as our opponents are constantly getting better at adapting to our style of play. Every team is extremely motivated and ready to play their best football when they come up against the world champions. During European qualifying we noticed that all of our opponents stayed very deep. We had 70 to 75 per cent possession in every game and had to find ways of getting through to goal. First and foremost, we’ve got to work on using our scoring chances more efficiently. Once we spend a longer period of time together and refine our moves and set-pieces over three- or four-week training camps, we’ll recapture our success against deep-lying opposition.
Do you have the EURO 2016 title in your sights? Of course! We’re world champions and we’ve got an excellent team. Winning the EURO title is realistic, not least because I don’t know many sides who can match our mental strength.
Looking ahead a further two years to Russia 2018, are you confident that Germany can become the first world champions to defend their title since Brazil in 1962, and establish a new era after Spain’s recent dominance?There’s no doubt that the Spanish were sensational with their three major titles between 2008 and 2012, particularly as they didn’t have to deal with the departure of any crucial players during that period as far as I’m aware, but I think we’re on the right track. Other teams have immense respect for our qualities and the way we play. Although I can imagine it, we’ve got a long road ahead and, in any case, sometimes the smallest things can determine your fate.