WC Countdown: Kramer vs Kramer's memory - Man who forgot greatest game of his career

The 2014 FIFA World Cup final was far from one of the most memorable.

It was the fifth overall and second consecutive trophy match decided in extra time. Germany won their fourth World Cup crown, while Lionel Messi suffered a massive blow with the Argentina national team, losing 1-0 in the final.

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Leo will truly bounce back from this defeat in Rio de Janeiro eight years later when the triumph in Qatar cemented his place in legend in his homeland, giving him his first World Cup title and the status of arguably the best player in football history.

Messi did recover from a tough loss, but one of the winners never did. What did he lose if Germany won the trophy? Not much... Just his memory!

The World Cup in Brazil brought numerous highlights.

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Italy and England were eliminated in the group stage, while Costa Rica and Uruguay progressed. The reigning champions, Spain, ended their title-defence campaign in the first step as well. Miroslav Klose scored his 16th WC goal, becoming the all-time World Cup leading scorer. Germany dismantled Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals, handing them one of the most devastating defeats ever. James Rodriguez was the top scorer with six goals, establishing himself as a new young football superstar. Mario Gotze was the hero of Germany, scoring the late winner in the final.

However, nothing could compare with what happened to Christoph Kramer, at least when it comes to bizarre moments.

Back then, the 23-year-old Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder was a relatively unknown name worldwide and, as such, far from a crucial factor in Joachim Low's squad. And how could he next to stars like Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos... In fact, he'd go on to make only 12 appearances for Die Mannschaft, being an international for only two years.

Yet his story would become one of the tournament’s most bizarre footnotes, all because of his appearance in the final against Argentina.

Prior to the trophy match, Kramer clocked 11 minutes in the Round of 16 against Algeria (2-1 win after extra time) and a single minute in the quarter-final 1-0 triumph against France. He was by no means a part of Low's ideas for the starting lineup for the duel against Argentina, but destiny had other plans.

Khedira, who was supposed to start, picked up an injury during warm-up, and Kramer was a forced last-minute solution. At that point, he had no idea that his World Cup story would be etched in history.

Seventeen minutes into the game, Kramer severely collided with the Argentina defender Ezequiel Garay, taking a harsh blow to the head. He was treated and sent back to the pitch. Everything seemed normal until, 14 minutes later, he approached the referee Nicola Rizzoli with a question. A bizarre question.

"Ref, is this the final?"

Kramer receives medical treatment following his collision with Garay (©Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

"I thought he was joking and made him repeat the question and then he said: ‘I need to know if this is really the final.’ When I said: ‘Yes,’ he concluded: ‘Thanks, it was important to know that,’” the Italian ref told La Gazzetta dello Sport later (via The Guardian), remembering the incident.

That question and Kramer's general confusion forced Rizzoli to react and inform the Germans of the situation. Low immediately reacted, replacing the midfielder with Andre Schurrle, who would assist for Gotze's winner 80 minutes later.

Germany went on to triumph, lift the trophy, and bring immense joy to their country, but Kramer's story did not end there. In fact, it was only the beginning. Why?

Kramer celebrates with the World Cup trophy (©Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Well, imagine hearing from a player who had just won his first - and, as it turned out, only - trophy in his professional career that he didn't remember the greatest game of his life, or at least one of its parts!

"I can’t remember that much from the game. I don’t know anything from the first half. I thought later that I went straight off after the incident."

"How I got to the changing rooms I do not know. I don’t know anything else. The game, in my head, starts only in the second half," Kramer said a few days after the final via The Guardian.

To this day, Kramer's memory of the 2014 World Cup final remains patchy and incomplete. But his winner’s medal serves as a reminder that he was — and will forever be — a World Champion and that he paid a high price to achieve that.