The 31-year-old, who has won eight Olympic gold medals in his illustrious career that ended last year, joined the Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund for a training session on Thursday.
Germany waited for their last group match at Euro 2016 to field a proper striker in their starting line-up and were rewarded when Mario Gomez did just enough to give them a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.
Japan international Shinji Kagawa sparkled on his return to Borussia Dortmund, scoring one goal for the Ruhr Valley club and helping set up another in a 3-1 win over Freiburg on Saturday.
Germany were pushed all the way by an inspired Algeria on Monday before Andre Schuerrle and Mesut Ozil eventually secured them a 2-1 extra-time victory to send them into a mouthwatering World Cup quarter-final meeting with France.
Borussia Dortmund missed a bagful of chances to draw 1-1 at home with Augsburg on Tuesday, as they squandered the opportunity to make up ground in the Bundesliga title race heading into the winter break.
Leverkusen's Schick scores hat-trick in comeback win over Heidenheim.
Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski hopes to join Bayern Munich in January when he will be eligible to sign a new deal.
German fans have finally got their wish for a more exciting Bundesliga season and the title race will really hot up when leaders Bayern Munich lock horns with Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Bayern's shock 2-1 defeat by Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena in midweek means a home victory for second-placed Dortmund at the weekend would lift them within two points of the Bavarians with nine matches to go. Such is the worldwide interest in the top of the table clash, it will be broadcast to 208 countries. "Everyone wanted more suspense in the Bundesliga. Now you have it so all is well," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola told reporters. "We are not perfect. Sometimes you have to lose to understand what you need to do in order to become an even better team." Bayern, who are chasing a record fourth consecutive Bundesliga crown, had an 11-point lead earlier in the season. The defeat by Mainz and a 2-2 draw at Juventus in their Champions League last-16 first leg, after leading 2-0, have raised alarm bells among the supporters. "The results against Juve and Mainz were not good but our performances were," said Guardiola who is leaving at the end of the season to join Manchester City.
Bastian Schweinsteiger does not believe he can yet offer Germany a 90-minute show at Euro 2016 but against Ukraine on Sunday the playmaker proved he only needs a short cameo to make a big difference.
Title contenders Germany do not have fundamental scoring problems despite a goalless draw against Poland and will top their Euro 2016 Group C with a win over Northern Ireland next week, coach Joachim Loew said on Saturday.
Unbeaten Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich opened up an 11-point gap at the top after goals from Thomas Mueller and Kingsley Coman eased them past Hertha Berlin 2-0 on Saturday, their 13th win in 14 league games.
Germany coach Joachim Loew has been forced to make changes to his team for Thursday's semi-final against hosts France at Euro 2016 because of injuries and a suspension, including replacing key goalscorer Mario Gomez.
Chelsea's Spanish striker Diego Costa was named along with usual suspects Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the 23- man FIFA Ballon D'Or short-list released on Tuesday.
Poland forward Robert Lewandowski became the second top Borussia Dortmund player to leave for arch-rivals Bayern Munich in less than a year when he agreed terms on Saturday to join them as a free agent at the end of the season.
Germany have promised that their attack will pack a bigger punch when they face Northern Ireland on Tuesday after struggling up front in their first two Euro 2016 matches.
An in-form Bayern Munich will be looking to notch up their fourth straight win in the Champions League group stage and seal a spot in the final 16 when the Bundesliga champions face Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday.
Thiago Silva's extra-time header sent Paris St Germain into the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals.
Holders Bayern Munich beat Bayer Leverkusen 5-3 on penalties after a 0-0 draw to move into the German Cup semi-final and stay on course for a treble of titles on Wednesday.
Germany and Poland edged closer to the Euro 2016 knockout stage after playing out the first 0-0 draw of this year's tournament at the Stade de France on Thursday. The result means both teams have four points in Group C ahead of Northern Ireland, who have three after their 2-0 win against a Ukraine side who are still without a point and cannot now qualify for the last 16 at the finals.
World champions Germany sauntered past minnows Gibraltar 4-0 in their Euro 2016 qualifier on Friday to bounce back from a rocky start but coach Joachim Loew was far from pleased with the performance.
The 2014 World Cup was a captivating carnival of football with high drama and Germany displayed their credentials as worthy champions.
Thomas Mueller scored a hat-trick as Germany beat Portugal 4-0 in an action-packed World Cup Group G match in Salvador, on Monday.
Germany thumped Slovakia 3-0 with goals from Jerome Boateng, Mario Gomez and Julian Draxler to cruise into the Euro 2016 quarter-finals on Sunday and confirm their status as tournament favourites with a sparkling performance. Central defender Boateng, who had recovered from an injury, connected perfectly with a clearance in the eighth minute to volley in from 25 metres for his first international goal as the world champions took control from the start.
The Germans have lost just once in 23 games since their Euro 2016 semi-final defeat, cruising through the qualifiers with 10 wins in 10 matches.
Germany coach Joachim Loew has named four talented youngsters, including three uncapped players, in his preliminary 27-man squad for Euro 2016.
Bayern Munich had to put their Bundesliga title celebrations on hold on Saturday after beating gutsy Mainz 05 2-0 while Borussia Dortmund also won, 3-0 at Hanover 96.
Holders Bayern Munich eased past CSKA Moscow 3-1 on Wednesday to set a Champions League record with their 10th straight victory and underline their ambitions to become the first team to successfully defend the title.
World champions Germany have warned that there is more to their biggest Euro 2016 group rivals Poland than Bundesliga top scorer Robert Lewandowski.
Tottenham Hotspur beat hosts Borussia Dortmund 1-0 on Tuesday thanks to a clinical Harry Kane finish, to stroll into the Champions League quarter-finals for only the second time in their history with a 4-0 aggregate victory.
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich suffered their first league defeat in 18 months when they slumped to a 1-0 loss at Augsburg on Saturday as Sascha Moelder's first-half strike ended their record 53-game unbeaten league run.
Arjen Robben grabbed his 100th goal for the club as undefeated Bayern Munich outclassed Freiburg 2-0.
Lionel Messi scored twice to equal Raul's Champions League scoring record as Barcelona secured their place in the knockout stages by beating 10-man Ajax Amsterdam 2-0 on Wednesday.
Germany's coach Joachim Loew looks to have found the last piece of his jigsaw as they eye a fourth European crown, with Julian Draxler sparking the attack into life in the 3-0 Euro 2016 win over Slovakia.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbed a hat-trick as Borussia Dortmund crushed Benfica 4-0 on Wednesday to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals 4-1 on aggregate.
Bayern Munich slumped out of the German Cup semi-finals 2-0 on penalties to Borussia Dortmund.
Portugal's impressive midfielder Renato Sanches is finally ready for his Bayern Munich debut although the 19-year-old Euro 2016 winner still faces a tough challenge to claim a regular place in the team. Coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that Sanches could make his debut away to Schalke 04 on Friday (1830 GMT) if Arturo Vidal is still worn out after his long trip from South America, where he played two World Cup qualifiers for Chile in five days.
Bayern Munich made predictably light work of Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande, dispatching the Chinese side 3-0 in their Club World Cup semi-final and hitting the woodwork five times on Tuesday.
Bayern Munich humiliated former Bundesliga powerhouses Werder Bremen 7-0 on Saturday with Franck Ribery scoring twice and setting up another two as the champions kept up their seemingly unstoppable march towards another title.
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola shrugged off criticism.
Here is a round-up of results from the European League matches played on Friday.
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