After Croatia's elimination, the players didn't immediately return home. Instead, they stayed in Germany to travel, shop, and watch matches. The World Cup, held only once every four years, has an atmosphere unlike any other. No one lucky enough to experience it would leave so easily.
German authorities and several major European economic organizations conducted studies covering the previous six months and the start of the tournament. Their reports predicted that this World Cup would boost Germany's domestic private spending by €3 billion, with foreign visitors expected to spend another €2 billion. It was a major shot in the arm for both the German and European economies.
Yet even as Luka Modrić lingered in Germany, his club continued to push for a contract renewal. They offered to double his salary—but the new deal still ran for a daunting ten years, and the original €20 million release clause had been removed. That left Modrić deeply uneasy.
Time was running out. The club had issued an ultimatum: if he kept waiting for Real Madrid's offer, there would be no renewal. But if he turned them down and Madrid never called, he'd struggle to find a better club than Dinamo Zagreb in the short term. As their midfield core, he couldn't afford to go somewhere just to warm the bench—unless it was a giant like Real Madrid.
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On June 24, the World Cup entered its fierce knockout stage. Germany opened the round by sending Zlatan Ibrahimović and Sweden home with a 2–0 win. Lukas Podolski—nicknamed the "Prince of Poland" and the "Prince of Cologne"—scored both goals, with Miroslav Klose providing the assists. Their chemistry was perfect, catching the eye of Bayern Munich.
Previously, Bayern had only focused on Klose, who had been brilliant in the league, but now they were considering signing both German forwards. After all, they were homegrown talent—reliable and affordable.
While Germany basked in triumph, Poland was fuming. Back in 2003, an 18-year-old Podolski had burst onto the scene, scoring ten goals in nineteen matches despite only playing in the second half of the Bundesliga season. Alongside Su Hang—who had made three appearances for Real Madrid that same year, scored six goals, and lifted the Copa del Rey—Podolski was hailed as one of the most exciting newcomers in Europe's top five leagues.
At the time, both Poland and Germany's national teams had tried to recruit him. Germany's approach was more proactive, and in the end, Podolski chose them. Ironically, in this World Cup, Germany's group opponents included Poland—and while Germany and Ecuador advanced, Poland finished third and went home. Many Polish fans still believe that if Podolski had chosen Poland, they would have at least reached the knockout stage.
Later that day, France defeated Mexico 3–1. Although Mexico took the lead with a penalty in the 27th minute, Zidane and Vieira each produced one goal and one assist, while Ribéry also found the net thanks to a cross from Wiltord. Despite falling behind, France played with calm confidence.
Compared to Argentina—who had looked like champions from the start—France's campaign had begun sluggishly. Their group-stage performances were shaky at best, but now they were clearly gaining momentum. If they kept improving like this, they could be serious contenders for the title by the semifinals or final.
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On June 25, England's match against Ecuador remained locked at 0–0 until the 60th minute, when Beckham curled in a trademark free kick—his last ever goal in a World Cup. England edged out Ecuador 1–0.
Later that day, Portugal and the Netherlands clashed in what became one of the most heated matches of the tournament. Four players were sent off, and thirteen players received a total of sixteen yellow cards—sixty percent of those on the field were booked. It went down as the most card-filled match in World Cup history, one of the most brutal contests ever played.
In the 23rd minute, Pauleta assisted Maniche for the opening goal. In the 34th, Cristiano Ronaldo was forced off injured and replaced by Simão. The score stayed 1–0 until the end, as Portugal narrowly advanced.
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On June 26, Italy beat Australia 1–0 in a tense match that saw only seven yellow cards. Francesco Totti converted a penalty to secure the win. The match's biggest controversy came in the 50th minute, when Materazzi made a sliding tackle near the box and was shown a yellow card. Many—especially the Australians—felt it should have been red.
Afterward, Australia filed a complaint, and FIFA's review confirmed it had indeed been a wrong call. Materazzi should have been sent off. Still, the result stood, and no further punishment followed for him. The referee, however, was suspended for three months by FIFA for the mistake.
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On June 27, the final two Round of 16 matches took place. Brazil faced Ghana first.
In the 5th minute, Kaká set up Ronaldo for the opener. Just before halftime, Cafu crossed from the right for Adriano to score again. In the 81st minute, Ghanaian forward Asamoah Gyan was sent off after receiving a second yellow.
Gyan had been one of the tournament's breakout stars, scoring Ghana's first-ever World Cup goal and setting the record for the fastest goal of the tournament—just 68 seconds. His performances earned him attention from clubs around the world. He would later become Ghana's captain, holding the role until his retirement in June 2023.
In 2015, he joined Shanghai SIPG, becoming one of the infamous figures in Chinese football—a league riddled with corruption from management to referees to players. Not every game was fixed, but if Thanos snapped his fingers to erase half of them, too many would still slip through the cracks.
In the 85th minute, Ronaldinho assisted Zé Roberto to seal the 3–0 victory. Brazil's "Dream Quartet" lived up to their reputation, each star shining in their own way.
And with that, only one match remained.
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Hannover's Niedersachsenstadion, also known as the AWD-Arena.
Fifty thousand seats—every one filled. Half the stands were painted red, the other half blue and white.
Fans of Spain and Argentina waved flags and roared in support of their teams.
Before kickoff, however, a commotion broke out among the Argentine fans. An Asian-Argentine supporter was harassed by local Argentine fans, who even took his seat.
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(35 Chapters Ahead)
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