Moritz Volz
Win tickets to the ATP finals

Match report: Germany 1 England 2 | Capello's 24-carat gold reserves | How England rated | Debate: what is England's best XI now? | Agbonlahor merits inclusion in long-term plans | Rise and rise of Captain Responsible | Wenger eyes Walcott compensation | Giles Smith: was it meaningful enough to put I'm a Celebrity on hold for a night? | Debate: were Carson and Bent the only losers in Berlin?
I went to Wembley when England lost to Germany in August last year. I sat with the England fans and got loads of abuse. It probably had something to do with the fact that I was wearing one of my Germany Under-21 shirts and an Afro wig that was made up of the colours of the German flag.
This time we were going head to head in Berlin and as Ipswich Town had given me a night off I went to watch the game in Fest, which is a German bar on Fulham Road in West London. Unfortunately the wig seems to have gone walkabout, but as it was a big occasion I dug out the shirt from my one appearance on the bench for Germany's senior team and wore that. You know, the shirt with the three stars above the badge. The stars that say the Motherland has won the World Cup three times. Not one. Three. Got that?
Fest is done out a bit like a bierkeller - long wooden tables, all in nice orderly straight lines (the German equivalent of feng shui) and staff dressed up like the cast of The Sound of Music. I was intrigued to see how many Germans would be in there and I have to say I was quite impressed. Not long after we arrived, a whole gang invaded our table - some things never change - and were all chatting away in the mother tongue.
I tried to go for a bit of bonding and join in, which was all well and good until this one girl, who we'll call Helga for the sake of convenience, told me my German was “actually pretty good”. Great. Even my own countrymen think I'm English. What has become of me?
With the two-pint steins out in force, I decided to follow suit. I can tell you it takes exactly three small bottles of orange juice and one bottle of fizzy water to fill one. I'm not sure anyone noticed I wasn't drinking beer. It just looked like some obscure Bavarian home brew. And more importantly, it still had maximum clinkability. Prost!
Keen to get in the spirit of things, we got the food order in sharpish. Currywurst, pork knuckle and schnitzel. And lots of potatoes. I'm telling you, those tables must have been reinforced with girders to take the weight of all that meat. It was pretty good stuff, but the tinned sauerkraut was as soft and sloppy as England's opening goal.
I was a bit disappointed not to see the German national uniform on show. You know, sleeveless denim, sweatbands, sandals and luminous socks. I thought it would all be out in force, especially among a football crowd, but it was quite civilised.
So, the game. Here are my thoughts. Do David James and Glen Johnson call each other up beforehand and arrange who's going to have corn rows and who's going Afro? Has there ever been a player as small as Piotr Trochowski? His head was below the linked arms of the players either side of him during the national anthems. How can someone called Jermaine Jones be German? And finally, good shout on getting a Swiss referee - that's the only neutrality acceptable when England and Germany get going.
Oh, and full marks to the two blokes behind me who were cheering for England, in German. Not quite sure what that was all about, but it was very funny. You're both obviously as messed up as me. And anyway, who cares about the result? It's all about the stars on the shirts: 3-1.
Moritz Volz is a former Germany Under-21 defender who is playing for Ipswich Town.
Industry sectors news at a glance. Interactive heatmap, video and podcast
Everything the Business Traveller needs to know to make a better trip
Get ready for the winter sports season, with our resort guides and snow reports
We are backing British business, what is the confidence of the nation and what businesses are succeeding?
Growing demand for energy, oil that is harder to reach and the rise of carbon dioxide emissions. We examine the energy challenge
Enjoy further reading from Travel to Fashion, Business to Sport, discover more
Shortcuts to help you find sections and articles
36-month car lease
on contract hire for
£359.99 plus VAT pm
12 months for the price of 11 and a 5% discount.
Offer ends 31/11/09
The UK's leading alternative to showroom finance.
Finance packages tailored to your needs.
Minimum loan of £15,000
Car Insurance
c£100,000 + car, bonus & bens
Lord Search & Selection
Midlands
Competitive
Barclaycard
Competitive
EVERSHEDS
London and Manchester
£80-95,000
Clay McGuire Executive Selection
Moments from Battersea Park.
For sale with Winkworth.
See your free Experian credit report beforehand
Book now & save over £100pp.
11 cool resorts, lowest prices... Early Booking offers 15 Nov.
20% off selected Azores holidays taken in October with Sunvil Discovery
Get covered on your travels with a superb range of policies at great prices. Visit InsureandGo.com
World Class Golf, Spa and preferential Beach Club. Private estate overlooking West Coast
Villas from £275 per night inclusive of Golf
Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times, or place your advertisement.
Times Online Services: Dating | Jobs | Property Search | Used Cars | Holidays | Births, Marriages, Deaths | Subscriptions | E-paper
News International associated websites: Globrix Property Search | Milkround
Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.
This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and Conditions. Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. VAT number GB 243 8054 69.