Demontage. It's a word that's so good Germans had to nick it from the French. It refers to the taking apart of something (or someone) but there are extra layers of meaning. A Demontage is conspicuous, a very public destruction of an important person's image and status, and it implies an element of glee, lust even. Roping in a fremdwort (foreign word) to name an activity can sometimes betray a sense of unease, and Demontage is probably a good example of that: taking pleasure in someone's (symbolic) dismemberment sounds a little less problematic in exotic syllables.
"Ballacks Demontage hat begonnen," (Ballack's demontage has begun), wrote Stuttgarter Zeitung in July 2010, when the captain's future in the brave new Germany of Jogi Löw looked less than assured. The national coach played a waiting game, no doubt in the hope that the midfielder would jump before he was pushed. But the stubborn Ballack refused to give up, despite a raft of injuries that kept him out for most of 2010-11.
In view of Ballack's services to the national team, Löw and the German FA wanted to organise an unofficial testimonial against Brazil (August 2011) but the pride of the "Capitano" was too hurt for him to agree. Six months later, the demontage of the outstanding German footballer of his generation is complete. His status has undergone a process of demounting that seemed inconceivable a few years. The legend has become a pariah, hounded out by his own club, Bayer Leverkusen.
On Saturday, the 35-year-old spent 90 minutes on the bench at the 1-1 away draw to Werder Bremen. Robin Dutt, the manager, later explained that he'd been happy with his players and unwilling to make too many changes during the match but that was only part of the truth. The (non-) outing at the Weserstadion was very much political. Kölner Express reported that Dutt had offered Ballack the chance to stay at home, as there was no way he'd f*eature on the pitch...
Hier weiterlesen: http://www.guardian.co.uk/foot…everkusen-michael-ballack
