Germany and Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has dismissed criticism from England football legend Gary Lineker regarding the German national team's performance at the World Cup. Lineker, who is hosting "The Rest is Football" podcast on Netflix, described Germany as "one of the weakest Germany sides I have ever seen," adding that the team is "living off their past" and highlighting their group stage exits in the previous two World Cups.
Germany is set to face Paraguay in the round of 32 after finishing atop Group E. Their campaign has seen mixed results, including a 7-1 victory over Curaçao, a narrow 2-1 win against Ivory Coast with an injury-time goal, and a 2-1 loss to Ecuador.
When questioned about Lineker's comments during a pre-match press conference, Havertz stated that he and the squad are not paying attention to external commentary. "Everyone is entitled to their opinion," Havertz said. "I didn't even notice it myself. Of course, during a tournament like this, a lot of people start talking about you. But I don't think anyone in the squad pays much attention to it."
He further added, "We already have plenty of experts in our own country – if people in other countries start as well, then at some point enough is enough. It’s always easy to criticise us from the outside. But it honestly doesn't interest me at all."
Lineker's current role with the Netflix podcast marks a different public platform compared to his well-known post-match commentary after England's 1990 World Cup semi-final loss to West Germany, where he famously said, "Football is a simple game. 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes, and in the end, the Germans always win."
"The Rest is Football" podcast, despite reportedly costing Netflix £14 million for broadcasting rights, has been averaging a peak audience of approximately 140,000, which is lower than the BBC's "Football Daily" show that garners up to 250,000 streams.