Germany defender Markus Babbel admits that the state of the old Wembley Stadium left him perplexed at Euro 96, with the size, age and atmosphere all heightening his senses during his first visit there.
Babbel appeared in four of Germany's five games that summer, helping lead the team from defence as they secured victory on English soil.
But while Babbel has won Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and Stuttgart, UEFA Cups with Liverpool and Bayern and many other trophies during his career, it's the semi-final against England that sticks out as a career highlight for him.
Germany defender Babbel picks Euro 96 semi-final win as career highlight
“The biggest highlight of my life was the Euro 96 semi against England, because the atmosphere inside the stadium was unbelievable," Babbel exclusively tells FourFourTwo. "It was the first time I’d been to Wembley and I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, what kind of old stadium is this?!’"
Germany had played all three of their group games and their quarter-final at Old Trafford in Manchester, meaning Babbel and his team-mates didn't experience any stadium other than the home of Manchester United.
All four of England's games up until the semis, meanwhile, were played at Wembley Stadium, in front of 75,000-plus capacity crowds. Playing on home soil and familiarity of the stadium therefore offered the Three Lions somewhat of an advantage, especially when Babbel realised the importance of the occasion.
"I had no idea how big Wembley was, because we’d played in the north of England until then," Babbel adds. "It was packed and I understood immediately just what that match meant to people. I get goosebumps even now.
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"I couldn’t concentrate on the game – I was listening to 75,000 fans singing. It was amazing. England were a fantastic team with a lot of great players – it was a really tough game and we had a lot of luck. The biggest game I ever played in – it was an amazing feeling to reach the final.”
Germany went onto win the Euros that year, beating Czech Republic in the final 2-1 with an Oliver Bierhoff golden goal in extra-time. And while Babbel would later come to England to play his club football for both Liverpool and Blackburn, he didn't get the opportunity to return to the old Wembley.
