Draxler revels in 'deserved' Germany triumph
Julian Draxler has hailed a young Germany's "unbelievable" Confederations Cup triumph after a final against Chile that may have silenced the tournament's critics, according to the Paris Saint-Germain player.
Lars Stindl's opportunistic first-half goal proved to be the difference between two evenly matched teams at St Petersburg's Krestovsky Stadium, where Joachim Low's inexperienced group held out against the seasoned Copa America holders.
Still only 23, Draxler captained the team throughout the competition and led by example to claim the Golden Ball as player of the tournament.
And the Ligue 1 star was delighted to end up on the winning side after what was, at times, a surprisingly bruising encounter.
"Unbelievable," he was quoted as saying by SID.
"It was a heated contest if you think about how the Confederations Cup was ridiculed beforehand. We fought really well and deserved the win.
"We never played with such line-ups, that's why it's even better to win this way. Every title is special but this [combination of players] makes it really extraordinary.
Congrats, captian! Julian #Draxler is awarded the Golden Ball for the #ConfedCup's best player #DieMannschaft pic.twitter.com/sQC1F65oql
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) July 2, 2017
"For me personally, this tournament was extremely important because I took over a new role," he added, referring to wearing the armband.
"Finally, finally we can go on holidays - and we even take a cup with us."