82 days to go…
We’re counting down to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ by showcasing a golazo from the global finals each day.
Torsten Frings
Germany v Costa Rica
Germany 2006 | Group stage
FIFA World Cup Stadium, Munich
Breaking Bad has a character named after a German footballer. Torsten Frings was no villain – by contrast, one of the neo-Western crime drama’s writers idolised the midfielder – but he did threaten to do damage on the opening day of a German carnival. It was to a Bavarian net.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was expected to pump a free-kick into the box, towards giants such as Per Mertesacker and Tim Borowski, but instead squared the ball into the path of Frings. The No8 let it run across his body and unleashed a ferocious, swerving strike into the top corner from 33 yards.
It sealed a 4-2 victory in an opening-match thriller. It started what Germans fondly remember as ‘The summer fairy tale’.
