18/12/2024
THE PLAYER WHO PLAYED A FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL AND DOESN'T REMEMBER IT 🤯
The story of Germany’s 🇩🇪 Christoph Kramer, who lost his memory during the 2014 World Cup final, began with a heavy collision with Argentine defender Ezequiel Garay 🇦🇷.
Philipp Lahm recounted:
"At first, I wasn’t worried about Kramer’s injury. He played normally after returning to the field."
Thomas Müller on Kramer:
"He spent enough time with the doctors, so I wasn’t concerned."
Manuel Neuer:
"When Kramer came back to the field, everything seemed fine, but at some point, I noticed from a distance that something wasn’t right."
Müller:
"What was leaked to the media at the time was that Kramer asked me, 'Is this the final?' Unfortunately, it was worse than that."
Lahm:
"He came up to me and asked to wear the captain’s armband. I said, 'What’s going on here?'"
Müller:
"He kept calling me 'Gerd' (referring to the legend Gerd Müller) and congratulating me on the 1974 World Cup final."
Neuer:
"He approached me near the goal and asked me to take his place."
Müller:
"When the tension rose, he kept cheering, but Kramer was seeing fans in another stadium. He said, 'The atmosphere in the Ruhr stadium is amazing.' (The match was being played at the Maracanã)."
Lahm:
"He went to the referee and asked to exchange jerseys."
Müller:
"Lahm came over and told me we had to sub Kramer out."
Müller:
"We had to put an end to this absurd situation. None of us knew what would have happened next. He might have even asked for the referee’s underwear."
Nikola Rizzoli, the match referee:
"After the collision, Kramer came to me and asked, 'Is this the final?' I thought he was joking, so I asked him to repeat the question. He asked again, 'Is this the final or what?' I answered, 'Yes.' His reply was, 'Thank you, it was important for me to know that.'"
When Neuer heard about the incident, he urgently requested Löw to sub Kramer out.
Minute 32: Christoph Kramer leaves the field, André Schürrle comes in.