‘My mum asked why Baddiel and Skinner wore my shirt in their Three Lions video – I didn’t have the heart to tell her why our surname is so funny’: German star on being a part of English football culture
He was the butt of Baddiel and Skinner’s jokes, but Germany forward Stefan Kuntz would end up having the last laugh at Euro 96.
The English comedy duo were front and centre of the cultural zeitgeist in 1996, following up their iconic TV programme Fantasy Football League with the release of Three Lions, a song that remains a terrace anthem to this day.
The duo referenced the unfortunately-named Kuntz in both Fantasy Football League and then in the video for Three Lions, both in 1996 and two years later when they updated the tune for the 1998 World Cup.
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Speaking to FourFourTwo, Kuntz told us what he made of the ongoing joke.
“I knew how you can pronounce my name and what that means in England!” he laughs. “The song was very popular here in Germany as well, and when the music video came out in 1998, my mum asked me why they were all wearing Germany shirts with ‘Kuntz’ on the back. I didn’t have the heart to tell her what our name meant, so I said they were just annoyed that I scored against them in 1996.”
That goal Kuntz references was the equaliser in the Wembley semi-final, as he cancelled out Alan Shearer’s only goal as the Germans broke English hearts when they beat the hosts on penalties.
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Stefan Kuntz during his playing days (Image credit: Getty Images)
“It was in the pre-internet era and a lot of us had never seen English football stadiums in the flesh,” Kuntz recalls when asked about his goal. “You didn’t just ‘see’ Wembley; you ‘felt’ it. Against England, I had goosebumps during the warm-up and then the national anthems. I knew before kick-off that it was going to be a very special day, whatever the outcome.
“It was obviously extra special for me as I scored in the game as well as in the shootout. I recall some of the England fans, upset as they were, applauding us off the pitch. That was touching. The celebrations in the dressing room after we won will also stay with me forever.”
Germany would then go on to beat the Czech Republic in the final, lifting the trophy for the third time, following the 1972 and 1980 wins as West Germany.
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