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“Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg had it under control”- Former Mercedes teammates visit Germany’s National Football camp ahead of Euro 2012

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg had it under control"- Former Mercedes teammates visit Germany's National Football camp ahead of Euro 2012

Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg made a visit to the German National Football team’s training camp back in 2012. 

Rosberg and Schumacher were teammates at Mercedes from 2010-2012. This was when the latter came out of retirement to help the Silver Arrows find their feet in F1.

Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix in 2012, the duo made a visit to the German Football team’s training camp. Die Mannschaft were preparing for that summer’s European Championships, which were held in Poland and Ukraine. The Mercedes drivers, who themselves were German, visited the camp and interacted with the players and coaches.

As it turned out, they were familiar with the faces in the team. Schumacher revealed that he and former Arsenal striker Lucas Podolski were in-fact, great friends. This meeting was mainly a promotional event for Mercedes, who marketed the A-class by having the legendary F1 drivers drive it with the German Football team in the car.

Also read: “Mick Schumacher will show Dirk Nowitzki levels!”- Haas driver and Sebastian Vettel to take part in charity football match in tribute to Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg drive the Mercedes Benz A-Class

Podolski was a joined by four other footballers from the team in their 18km run in the Mercedes A-class. Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus, Andre Schürrle and Tim Weise, all jumped aboard.

As expected, they being F1 drivers, took the car to the very limit. Schumacher even asked the drivers sitting in the backseat, to let him know if it gets uncomfortable. Soon however, their outing in the car ended as they returned to the training camp. Wiese said after the drive it was really fun and that Schumacher and Rosberg had it “all under control.”

“It’s a lovely car,” Marco Reus said while talking about their ride. “A lot of fun to go around in, especially with a Formula driver. It looks great and it’s got plenty of power.”

After driving the A-class, the Mercedes teammates played football for a while with the other members of the German Football team. They also exchanged words with their then head coach Joachim Löw.

Germany’s Euro 2012 campaign ended in disappointment, after they lost 1-2 to Italy in the semi-finals. The Italians ultimately lost to Champions Spain 4-0 in the final.

Also read: Kimi Raikkonen reportedly selling his $2.5 million Ferrari after running it for 1200-miles

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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