This dissertation explores media narratives surrounding the multiethnic German men’s national football team from 2006 to 2018, investigating how these narratives reflect and shape discourses of German national identity. The study spans thirteen years marked by major football tournaments, including the World Cups and European Championships, where the team served as mediums for discussions on belonging, inclusion, and diversity in Germany. Employing a mixed methods approach, this research examines how the national team and individual players, especially those with diverse ethnic backgrounds, were portrayed or vilified as embodiments of the evolving “Multikulti” (among a host of other terms) reality in Germany. The findings demonstrate the conditional nature of media acceptance of multiethnic players, often based on performance, and unveil deeper societal challenges related to ethnicity, race, and histories of migration within sports. This dissertation contributes to broader academic discussions on the role of sports in reflecting and shaping identity in contemporary Germany.
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