Euro 2020 Qualifiers: 3 Germany World Cup 2014 winners who survived Joachim Low's cull

#3 Matthias Ginter

Matthias Ginter was part of Germany's squad in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups - but didn't play a minute

The third remaining veteran of the 2014 World Cup in Germany’s current squad, Borussia Monchengladbach’s Matthias Ginter was just 20 during that tournament – the youngest member of Germany’s squad – and with just one international cap prior to the competition, it was no surprise that he didn’t actually play a single minute in Brazil.

Fascinatingly, Ginter also failed to make an appearance in last summer’s World Cup in Russia – making him the only player in the history of the German national side to participate in two World Cups without actually playing.

It was perhaps that lack of action that saved the defender – unlike Hummels and Boateng, he wasn’t given the chance to disgrace himself in Russia.

Since the World Cup though, Ginter has established himself as one of Low’s first-choice defenders; he’s started 5 of Germany’s 6 post-World Cup games and although he was involved in the disappointing Nations League campaign that saw Germany relegated, he’s young enough to bounce back and recover to become a key player for Die Mannschaft.

Despite not actually playing, his experience in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups could be crucial to help some of Germany’s newer players become comfortable on the international stage.