Andreas Beck: The World Cup in sight

The dream of winning the European Cup was almost cut short prematurely. In the deciding qualifying game in France, the Germans had to wait until injury time before Benedikt Höwedes shot his side into the finals in Sweden. "Taking part in the under 21 European Cup in Sweden was such a great experience for me. We tried really hard throughout the tournament and we got stronger and stronger with each game," remembers Beck. The initial difficulties in qualifying, two draws and one win, have now been left in the past. It was in the semi-finals that the Germans played their best football. A 1-0 victory saw the Italians knocked of the tournament and Hoffenheim's Andreas Beck was the man that scored that golden goal. His performance was officially recognised with the UEFA ‘man of the match' award. "I don't often get a goal and it was such a great feeling. That's only been bettered by our win in the final against England and thus winning the European Cup." In the final, Germany's new blood made light of their fierce rivals from the ‘Isles.' A 4-0 victory was more than enough for the under 21s to bring the title back to Germany for the first time. Beck's impressive performance on the European stage was enough to get him noticed by a number of clubs. Aside from football, the 22 year old has a number of other talents. "Together with Thomas Godoj we recorded the song ‘I need a Euro-hero.' At first we all laughed about it, but then it became our catch phrase. My vocal performance needs a bit more work though," smirks Beck. Trainer Horst Hrubesch's lads also have a lot of fun. Together with renowned sports psychologist Jan Mayer, they completed a team building day including group skiing, crate stacking, cycling and biathlon.

The next important goal for the defender is just around the corner. Qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa has been secured. The final hurdle in the form of Russia has been overcome. Now Beck is hoping that good performances for 1899 Hoffenheim will be enough to earn him a place in the squad. "Of course it's my dream play in a tournament like that. Hoffenheim is a platform for me to put in some good performances. Joachim Löw will have the majority of the squad already in mind, but there's still some places to play for," claims Beck hopefully. He happily looks back on his debut for the German national team on 11th February 2009 against Norway in Düsseldorf. At half time he came on for Andreas Hinkel and, despite a 0-1 defeat, can be proud of an impressive performance. "You're always hoping for a victory on your debut. But it was still something really special and I'm really proud to be able to play for Germany," said the Hoffenheim star. Since then Beck has gained four more caps for his country and Wednesday could be his next, as Germany take on the Ivory Coast in a friendly. This won't be easy, as the focus returns to football following the shocking and tragic death of Robert Enke. Kick off in Gelsenkirchen is 20:45.