It didn’t quite go according to plan! The German national team, including the four Werder Bremen representatives Torsten Frings, Per Mertesacker, Clemens Fritz and Tim Borowski, landed punctually at Berlin’s Tegel airport on Monday at 1pm, but there was one very special piece of silverware missing from their luggage – the European Championship trophy, which the Spanish deservedly secured on Sunday night.
Nonetheless, tens of thousands of fans to the opportunity to welcome the vice-champions of Europe back home at the fan mile along by the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. There was never a question that the DFB team would be given a worthy reception, in spite of the bitterly painful, narrow final defeat: “We had a great experience on the fan mile after the World Cup. There was never a doubt in our minds that we should come back here again,” admitted Torsten Frings.
Central defender Per Mertesacker was full of enthusiasm: “We have a tough night behind us but we are very glad to be here. The plane flew around before we landed and it was quite a fantastic sight to behold. When you are right down here in the middle of it, it’s even better.”
For Tim Borowski it was a double-goodbye, on his official final day as a Werder Bremen player. His contract with the Green-Whites expired on 30.06.2008. As from Tuesday, 01.07.2008, Borowski will be an FC Bayern Munich player.