Tuesday 31 March 2015 11:46, UK
England U21s beat Germany U21s 3-2 on Monday, five-and-a-half years on from their 2009 European Under-21 Championship final defeat.
Six members of the Germany starting XI which beat England 4-0 in Sweden went on to win the World Cup last summer in Brazil. Only two don’t have a major honour to their name, while just one doesn’t have an international cap.
In contrast, of England’s starting XI that day, six have failed to win a major trophy and five haven’t won an international cap.
We take a look back at the teams from the 2009 U21 European Championship final to see what happened to them next…
ENGLAND
Scott Loach
Played for Watford at the time and has never progressed beyond the Championship. Now 26, he is currently with Yeovil Town, on loan from Rotherham United. (*Joe Hart was due to play in the final but was suspended. He's since gone on to win two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and League Cup and 49 England caps).
Senior international caps: None. Major honours: None
Martin Cranie
Joined Coventry from Portsmouth after the European Championships and made 114 appearances before moving on to Barnsley, where he remains today.
Senior international caps: None. Major honours: None
Micah Richards
Appeared to have the makings of a defensive stalwart for both Manchester City and England but his career has since faltered following the influx of foreign imports at the Etihad Stadium. He lost his regular place in the City team and is now on loan at Fiorentina.
Senior international caps: 13. Major honours: Premier League 2012, FA Cup 2011.
Nedum Onuoha
Another product of the Manchester City system, Onuoha also found himself crowded out by new signings and joined Queens Park Rangers in 2012 via a loan spell at Sunderland. Now trying to help Rangers avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Senior international caps: One. Major honours: None.
Kieran Gibbs
Gibbs is a regular at left-back for Arsenal and is still in the picture for England, albeit largely as a deputy to Leighton Baines.
Senior international caps: Six. Major honours: FA Cup 2014.
James Milner
Arguably the most successful member of Pearce’s starting line-up in 2009, Milner earned a big-money move to Manchester City, where he has won two Premier League titles. He is also a regular in England squads.
Senior international caps: 53. Major honours: Premier League 2012 and 2014, FA Cup 2011, League Cup 2014.
Fabrice Muamba
Was a regular for Bolton Wanderers but was forced to retire in August 2012 after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during an FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur the previous March.
Senior international caps: None. Major honours: None.
Lee Cattermole
Joined Sunderland from Wigan Athletic after the 2009 European Championships and has been there ever since. Currently fighting relegation from the Premier League
Senior international caps: None. Major honours: None.
Mark Noble
Other than two loan spells, he has spent his whole career at West Ham United and remains a regular but has never managed a senior England gap.
Senior international caps: None. Major honours: None.
Adam Johnson
Played for Middlesbrough at the time of the 2009 European Championships but later moved to Manchester City. He made 73 appearances but couldn’t hold down a regular place and moved to Sunderland in 2012. Hasn’t played for England since August 2012.
Senior international caps: 12. Major honours: Premier League 2012, FA Cup 2011.
Theo Walcott
A regular with Arsenal and England when fit, but has been dogged by long-term injury over the past 18 months.
Senior international caps: 37. Major honours: FA Cup 2014.
GERMANY
Manuel Neuer
Regular No 1 for both Bayern Munich and Germany. Widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world.
Senior international caps: 58. Major honours: World Cup 2014, Champions League 2013, Bundesliga 2013 and 2014, German Cup 2013 and 2014, UEFA Super Cup 2013, FIFA Club World Cup 2013.
Andreas Beck
A fixture at right back for Hoffenheim and has also graduated to the senior Germany team, although he has been far from a regular.
Senior international caps: Nine. Major honours: Bundesliga 2007.
Benedikt Höwedes
Graduated to the senior Germany set-up in 2011 and has gone on to amass 32 caps. He started the 2014 World Cup final at left back.
Senior international caps: 32. Major honours: World Cup 2014, German Cup 2011.
Jerome Boateng
Earned a senior call-up following the U21 victory, before agreeing a £10m move to Manchester City the next summer, where he made just 16 appearances. Signed for Bayern Munich in 2011, helping them to the treble in 2013, and won the World Cup last summer with Germany.
Senior international caps: 51. Major honours: World Cup 2014, Champions League 2013, Bundesliga 2013 and 2014, German Cup 2013 and 2014, FA Cup 2011, UEFA Super Cup 2013, FIFA Club World Cup 2013.
Sebastian Boenisch
Opted to play for Poland in 2010 due to limited opportunities with Germany. Missed most of the 2010/11 season with knee injury and eventually moved on to Bayer Leverkusen in 2012 after an unsuccessful trial with Stoke.
Senior international caps: 14 (for Poland). Major honours: German Cup 2009.
Mats Hummels
The highly-rated defender had joined Borussia Dortmund from Bayern Munich before the 2009 tournament and went on to help the club to back-to-back league titles and the Champions League final in 2013.
Senior international caps: 39. Major honours: World Cup 2014, Bundesliga 2011 and 2012, German Cup 2012.
Fabian Johnson
Joined Wolfsburg after the 2009 U21 success, but moved on to Hoffenheim in 2011 before switching to Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014. Former Germany boss Jurgen Klinsmann called him up for USA in 2011.
Senior international caps: 29 (for USA). Major honours: None.
Gonzalo Castro
Castro earned his first Germany call-up in 2007 but despite U21 success has fallen out of contention for the national team. The midfielder remains at Bayer Leverkusen where he has made almost 300 league appearances.
Senior international caps: 5. Major honours: None.
Sami Khedira
Signed for Real Madrid in 2010, where he went on to win La Liga and the Champions League. Seems set to leave the Bernabeu this summer after over 100 appearances for Los Blancos, with a number of top European clubs after his signature.
Senior international caps: 54. Major honours: World Cup 2014, Champions League 2014, Bundesliga 2007, La Liga 2012, German Cup 2011, Spanish Cup 2011 and 2014, UEFA Super Cup 2014, FIFA Club World Cup 2014.
Mesut Ozil
Joined Real Madrid in 2010 after impressing at the World Cup and helped them to the La Liga title in 2012. Signed by Arsenal for over £40m in 2013, the German helped fire the Gunners to the FA Cup in his first season.
Senior international caps: 64. Major honours: World Cup 2014, La Liga 2012, FA Cup 2014, Spanish Cup 2011, German Cup 2009.
Sandro Wagner
Joined Werder Bremen in January 2010 before moving on to Hertha Berlin, where he is in and out of the first-team.
Senior international caps: None. Major honours: Bundesliga 2008, German Cup 2008.
