The rule regarding youth academies began in the 2000s as the DFB looked to the future. The move saw giant local clubs such as Bayern, Schalke and Stuttgart produce a number of high-class youngsters who went on to earn a breakthrough in the Bundesliga, get minutes and experience under their belt before eventually representing Germany.

Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Müller (all Bayern), Manuel Neuer, Julian Draxler, Mesut Özil, Benedikt Höwedes (all Schalke) and Sami Khedira (Stuttgart) would form the backbone of Germany's 2014 FIFA World Cup triumph after coming through such club facilities.

More recently, these now famed academies have produced Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sane (both Schalke), Joshua Kimmich, Timo Werner, Serge Gnabry (all Stuttgart), as well as Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen and Matthias Ginter from Freiburg.

It's that constant ability to bring through the next top-class generation of players, combined with some classic German efficiency, that has seen Germany become one of global football's powerhouses.

No nation has reached the final four of the World Cup more times than Die Mannschaft, having done so 13 times in 20 appearances at the competition. No team has reached the final more than Germany (eight appearances), going on to win it four times – a European record.