Captain Stark on Germany's Under-19 triumph

As impressive as any other competition winner in 2014 were the Germany side who captured the UEFA European Under-19 Championship title in Hungary just a few weeks after the seniors had triumphed at the FIFA World Cup.

Having beaten six-time champions Spain to qualify, Germany stormed through the competition for a second title after their 2008 triumph. Captain Niklas Stark, who earlier this month picked up the Respect Fair Play trophy on behalf of his team, looked back at the tournament and, having also helped Germany qualify for the 2015 UEFA European U21 Championship, shared his hopes for next June's finals in the Czech Republic.

Overall memories
"I have many good memories, not only from Hungary but also of the elite round and the qualifying round. There were quite a few moments at the EURO that are engraved in my mind. I will never forget these and I am very proud of having lived them."

Group stage: Bulgaria 0-3 Germany
[Was Davie Selkes's first-minute goal crucial?] "Definitely. We knew we had to start well in the tournament and it gave us a good feeling and a confidence boost that it went so well. It took some pressure off and it eased our play."

Group stage: Germany 2-2 Serbia
[On his added-time equaliser] "I cannot find the words to describe scoring this goal for the team. It was an important goal and an important point for us. It showed us that it wouldn't be easy to win the tournament; that's why it was an important game for us."

Group stage: Germany 2-0 Ukraine

Semi-finals: Germany 4-0 Austria
"We knew that Germany against Austria is always a special game. We were highly motivated and had the right commitment. In the end, we deserved to win it."

Final: Portugal 0-1 Germany
"It was awesome. Portugal gave us a hard fight and they were a worthy opponent for the final. So it was a worthy final; we stood together as a team and that's what made the difference."

Germany's Under-21s
"We are happy we qualified without any major problems for the U21 championship. Now we are looking forward to the friendlies, to getting good results, and then we will look towards the championship itself. We are a really strong team and I hope the results will be the same as for the U19s. That's what we are working for and we want to make it happen. We are a strong team and I think we can make it happen."