Germany Lose World Cup Keeper

The German Football side is known at the ‘Nationalelf‘ the Nation’s Eleven. The Elf now finds itself a little short after the withdrawal of two key players goalkeeper Rene Adler and midfielder Simon Rolfes. Both are Bayer Leverkusen players. First-choice goalkeeper Adler has been told he needs surgery on a rib injury he suffered last month.

His loss is especially a sad moment for Germany because he was the replacement for Robert Henke who was Germany’s number one in early 2009, before he committed suicide last November. Germany will now be relying on either Schalke 04’s Manuel Neuer and Werder Bremen’s Tim Wiese to step into the breach.

Adler’s Bayer team mate Rolfes is out following knee surgery.

Adler who has a history of rib problems, made the call himself and admitted it was the toughest decision of his life as he could feasibly have played at the World Cup, albeit not to the best of his ability.

“The pain is so great that I would not have been able to perform at my best over the longer term both in training and during matches. In such a long and intensive tournament, that is unacceptable. You need players who are totally fit,” he said.

Adler made a comeback for his club in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Hertha Berlin, but a post-match check revealed the injury was worse than first feared.

Coach Joachim Löw will announce a preliminary 30-man squad on Thursday, and Bayern Munich veteran Hans-Jörg Butt could be in line for a surprise recall. Butt hasn’t played for Germany since 2003.

Germany are in a tough World Cup Group D with Australia, Ghana and Serbia.