Everywhere Gareth Southgate turned late on Wednesday night there were reminders of the adoration that comes with being a serial winner. The Lukas Podolski party was getting into full swing with a televised ‘This is Your Life’ style show from a nearby studio in the Westfalenstadion stadium and most of the German journalists, watching the live feed, were in stitches when the new permanent England manager sat down to talk.

When it was put to him that England’s greatest players have never been loved like this, he reflected that “it helps if you have won World Cups and European Championships doesn’t it? [And] you can’t always predict when the end is coming for people.”

But Southgate was firmly looking ahead, not back. There wasn’t the faintest flicker of a response when it was put to him that Wayne Rooney deserved a send-off like Podolski. “Is that the last question?” he replied, and did not answer.

Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 6 out of 10 Rash when coming out to challenge Vardy early on, but stood firm to block Alli’s decent chance towards the end of the first half. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Joshua Kimmich – 7 out of 10 One of the few young German players to have a decent evening and potentially sent a message to Carlo Ancelotti, who has not offered him much playing time this season. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Mats Hummels – 7 out of 10 Germany’s best all-round performer, rarely looked troubled by England’s attacking talents. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Antonio Rudiger – 6 out of 10 A solid display, if unspectacular. Did well on the rare occasions when England went aerial. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Jonas Hector – 7 out of 10 Impressed after taking his time to grow into the game. His link-up play with Sane in the second-half was at the root of all England’s problems. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Julian Weigl – 5 out of 10 The main culprit in Germany’s surprising struggle to who Hauled off for Liverpool’s Emre Can midway through the second half. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Toni Kroos – 5 out of 10 Surprisingly poor when it came to the simple stuff, misplaced several passes when not under pressure. Struggled to win his battle against the lesser light of Livermore. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Leroy Sane – 6 out of 10 Did not crackle like we know he can from his recent Manchester City form, but another who improved as the evening went on. Perhaps should’ve doubled Germany’s lead. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Julian Brandt – 4 out of 10 Another player reportedly attracting Premier League interest, he did not show why here. Switched for Andre Schurrle. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Lukas Podolski – 6 out of 10 The equivalent of a testimonial for the veteran and you could tell from his first-half performance. Then came Der Hammer, as Germany’s support calls his left peg. A stunning winner. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Timo Werner – 4 out of 10 The RB Leipzig frontman, a reported target for Liverpool, failed to translate his exciting form at club level to the international stage. Disappointing, but it was only his debut. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Joe Hart – 7 out of 10 Could do little for Podolski’s goal, but did well shortly after to deny Sane with an excellent stop down low to his left. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Gary Cahill – 4 out of 10 Lucky not to concede a penalty for needlessly leaning into a cross in the first-half and could have done better to stop Podolski’s screamer. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Michael Keane – 6 out of 10 Asked to play in a back three on his debut after excelling in a rigid four at Turf Moor all season, but coped admirably. One lapse in concentration was almost punished by Sane. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Chris Smalling – 5 out of 10 An indifferent night from the centre-half. Unlike Cahill, he was rarely called into question, but still did not convince. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Kyle Walker – 6 out of 10 Showed why he will be integral to Southgate’s England in his forays down the right flank, but only did so in glimpses. Hector and Sane began to cause him problems has the game went on. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Eric Dier – 6 out of 10 A lucky boy not to be severely punished for a late, robust tackle on Weigl. That aside, he helped to stifle Germany’s midfield. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Jake Livermore – 7 out of 10 Not everyone’s idea of a no 7, but combined well with Dier in the centre of the park to disrupt Germany’s passing, particularly in the first half. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Ryan Bertrand – 6 out of 10 Not as threatening as Walker was in moments, but defensively solid and frustrated Brandt in the first-half. Schurrle gave him a few more problems after the break. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Dele Alli – 7 out of 10 England’s main creative outlet, but also found himself on the end of several chances. Should have opened the scoring with the first-half’s best chance but hit it straight at Ter Stegen. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Adam Lallana – 7 out of 10 Came close to scoring in his fourth straight England appearance, but thwacked the post after an impressive burst forward. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Jamie Vardy – 5 out of 10 Aggrieved to have not won a penalty early on, but you could tell he was looking for it. Too deep at times too, despite Germany’s defensive line offering him space in behind.

The night had been about a new England: a group of players constantly looking for possession, equal to the intellectual challenge of finding the right pass and patiently waiting for the moment to thread it and attack, if necessary. “Believing in the way they play” to quote Southgate’s pre-match definition of a German trait he wanted to adopt.

It was a young side and the ego seemed to be subordinate to the collective in a way we have not often seen in England. Members of the so-called ‘golden generation’ might look at some of the seemingly more average individuals who made the world champions sweat for 45 minutes and think ‘we could do that.’ But they rarely ever did. This time we had Michael Keane – a real revelation against Germany – whose derives a real hunger from his mission to prove that Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United were wrong to sell him 18 months ago.

“I always thought I would make it at United,” Keane said. “A few changes in managers did not help and when I left I felt I had a point to prove. It made me work that bit harder.” Keane represented Ireland at both under-17 and under-19 levels but it was no contest when England called.

Southgate agreed that the experience of being an England player perhaps helps you to manage this team, though experience coaching the under-21s helps just as much. It equipped him with the knowledge that Keane could handle making his a debut in a prototype three-man defence.

Southgate said he’d decided on that system six weeks ago, having seen Germany “pin teams back” and determined that he “didn’t want to sit there and take pressure all night.” This took us a long way from the Roy Hodgson decision-making which was concocted on the hoof at times. Rooney in England’s central midfield was an idea not tested until the last warm-up game before Euro 2016.

There was something liberating about the gamble on a system which generated optimum possession for Adam Lallana and Dele Alli, operating more narrowly with wing backs outside of them. “It would be easy just to view [friendlies] as games that have to be won, and then you don’t risk, don’t try things and you don’t give people opportunities,” Southgate reflected. “Would we make all the changes we did in another scenario? In a game like that, that’s the purpose. If you don’t put lads in, you’ll never find out about them.”

An appetite was not evident everywhere. Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and John Stones were deemed too tired to face Germany, though their club team-mate Leroy Sane managed well enough for Germany.

Arsenal supporters will wonder how on earth the Podolski they knew could end up departing the international stage a hero like this. For them, he simply wasn’t that good. That only goes to prove that the biggest contributions do not necessarily come from the best players.

The night belonged to Podolski, who leaves the international stage (Getty)