Bloodied and bruised, Bastian Schweinsteiger paid tribute to Germany’s fans after a historic victory saw the country become the first Europeans to win the World Cup in the Americas.
Germany claimed a fourth title after Mario Goetze came off the bench to score a 113th-minute winner in their 1-0 victory over Argentina at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana Stadium.
Midfield general Schweinsteiger said messages of support from loyal fans back home had helped the team on their run to the title.
“We’ll enjoy the moment, it’s unbelievable,” said Schweinsteiger, who claimed his first international title after a decade with ‘die Mannschaft’.
“Thank you to the whole of Germany for your support.
“We could feel how much you have got behind us here.
“It was an unbelievable performance, but how the boys on the bench have got into it is something I have never experienced before.
“That gave us so much power, now because of it we have won the World Cup.”
Schweinsteiger put his body on the line in the final and was left bloodied in his personal battle with Argentina’s midfielders Lucas Biglia and Javier Mascherano.
He had to twice re-adjust as defensive midfield partner Sami Khedira dropped out at the 11th hour with a calf injury, then Khedira’s replacement Christoph Kramer went off after 31 minutes with a head injury.
But Schweinsteiger capped a battling display by soaking up plenty of physical punishment in extra-time.
The Bayern Munich star needed treatment for a facial cut after taking a stray fist in the face on 110 minutes from Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero while challenging for a ball.
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