After another hugely successful period for Germany's youth teams, they were officially presented with the Maurice Burlaz trophy in Nyon, during the UEFA youth competitions draw ceremony on Thursday.
The award is presented to the country which boasts the best results, in terms of youth football, across the last two seasons. This is the third time Germany have won the award, following on from the triumph 2009 and also in 1992. Plenty of the players in those respective sides went on to bigger and better things, and both the two German sides that reached the finals - with the under-19's claiming the Championship in 2014 - look destined for greatest.
Stars of the future
The likes Marc Stendera, Davie Selke and Hany Mukhtar, now household names, all starred in that victory, during which they dominated from start to finish. Aside from a 2-2 draw with a Serbia side who went on to become world champions, the Germans brushed aside opposition with ease and kept clean sheets in every game. The vast majority of that team are now enjoying their football as first-team members in the Bundesliga or 2. Bundesliga.
Germany's under-17 side almost matched their elders a year later in Greece, as they fell short in a thrilling tournament. After blitzing their way through the group stages, Christian Wück's side made it through to the final but were beaten by a hugely impressive France side. However, they could hold their heads high in the knowledge that they had put on a fantastic show and gave their all.
The 2014 under-17 European Championship and the 2015 under-19 tournament were not so successful, as die Nationalmannschaft dropped out in the groups at both competitions. Despite that, the final appearance and 2014 triumph were enough to secure Germany top spot. They edged out France by four points, as the French narrowly missed out on a chance to retain the trophy.
Chatzialexiou delighted to receive the accolade
Speaking at the UEFA draw for the under-17 and under-19 championships that are on the horizon, Joti Chatzialexiou received the award, "We're naturally very proud, and it's confirmation of the good work that we've done in recent years." The DFB youth team manager added, "We have always tried to constantly develop over the years, particular in technical terms, and I believe one of the reasons for this is the players who have come into Germany."
He was discussing his thoughts with UEFA.com, and admitted he has high hopes of the nation playing a "leading role" when they host the 2016 under-19 finals. Chatzialexiou concluded, "We want to organise a good tournament and attract large numbers of spectators to the matches." The 2016 tournament gets underway on July 11th, running through to the 24th.