West Germany began the 1960s with memories of the Miracle of Bern and the 1954 World Cup win still fresh in their minds. Standards were slipping, however, and a Quarter Final exit in the 1962 competition to Yugoslavia encouraged an agenda of change.

Full professionalism was embraced at last, and the establishment of a national Bundesliga helped raise the quality of the West German game. The appointment of Helmut Schön in 1964 as successor to Sepp Herberger played a major role too, with the new coach leading his nation to a World Cup Final in 1966 and the semi-finals in 1970.

More importantly, he oversaw the development of the next generation of national team players who would gradually replace the 60s stars Schnellinger, Seeler, Overath, Haller, and Tilkowski. Unprecedented levels of German success were just around the corner.