– If I could rewrite history, I would score the winning goal in the World Cup when I am 35 years old and then stop playing.
One moment has followed Mario Götze30, throughout his playing career.
The young midfielder came on as a substitute in the dying moments of the 2014 World Cup final as Germany and Argentina battled it out for the title in a packed Maracana stadium in Brazil.
– Show the world that you are better than Messi, the head coach of Germany Joachim Löw whispered while sending Götze to the field.
And that night Götze was. In the 113th minute of the rematch André Schurrle got up on the left side and sent a cross in front of the goal. Götze took possession of the ball at his side and kicked the device straight out of the air into the goal. The stadium exploded. Germany won the World Cup.
Götze had made history at only 22 years old.
A more comical German was never seen in the World Cup arenas. He last appeared in the national team in 2017. Until November, Germany’s head coach Hansi Flick named his team for the Qatar Games. Götze was involved again.
Too much too fast
Just a few years after the World Cup high, Götze’s career at the top seemed to be over.
The number of goals and playing time were decreasing. Götze, who represented Bayern Munich, felt strangely tired, did not recover properly and suffered from injuries such as a torn adductor thigh muscle in the 2015-2016 season.
After each poor performance, he was compared to the peak season of 2014. Götze was just a mere mortal, no Lionel Messi’s or Neymar’s like a virtuoso who solves matches by himself.
Among other things, the honorary chairman of Bayern Munich Franz Beckenbauer marveled at the young man’s weak gestures.
– Such behavior does not suit Bayern. It’s time for him to grow up. He has shown what he can do in Dortmund and we know he is a great talent. But something is missing, Beckenbauer rumbled (you switch to another service).
Götze had achieved a lot at a young age, which fueled expectations, especially in Germany. The attacking midfield debuted in 2009 Jurgen Klopp’s captained the Bundesliga team in Dortund’s shirt at the age of 17 and won two championships in the 2010–12 seasons with the club. Götze was called up to the national team in 2010 as the youngest player since by Uwe Seeler.
Dubbed the “wonder boy”, Götze was described in the German media in the early 2010s as one of the talents of all time and the country’s best attacking player.
In 2013, the super promise moved to Bayern Munich for a hefty sum of 37 million euros.
However, due to declining performances, Götze returned to Dortmund for the 2016–17 season.
At the beginning of 2017, Götze was diagnosed with a rare myopathy, a muscle disease that causes chronic fatigue and weight gain. The German’s final season was cut short.
Götze got the disease under control with medication and above all by changing his training habits and lightening the load. The German was used to hard work and tried to push hard even when tired.
– When I was young, I trained before and after training. If we had a day off, I worked out. If I was on vacation for three weeks, I started running after three days. In the end games it was just stupid, Götze recalled In an interview with The Athletic (you go to another service) in November.
Götze returned to Dortmund’s playing lineup the following fall. The reviews were varied in the following seasons and the German media continued to closely follow the former prodigy’s reviews. After a couple of friendly matches in 2017, the national team didn’t receive any more invitations.
Dortmund strengthened its ranks in the 2019–2020 season, among other things With Erling Haaland, and Götzel didn’t have any worse playing time. Götze moved for free to PSV, which plays in the Dutch Eredivisie.
The joy of playing was found in PSV
In Holland, Götze was able to play without the constant attention of the German media. The head coach by Roger Schmidt under him, there was enough playing time and self-confidence improved dramatically. In the 2021–2022 season, Götze scored 12 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions for PSV. In the 2021–22 season, PSV won the Dutch Cup and the Super Cup.
After ten years in the Bundesliga, the new environment was good for Götze.
– For the first time I was somewhere where I didn’t know everyone. It was very important to have a different experience. It helped me a lot in many ways, both on and off the field. I just needed to get playing to get back into the rhythm.
At the same time, the former passionate trainer familiarized himself with yoga and taekwondo, for example. Götze also started to rest more, listen to his body and invest in nutrition.
The birth of a child in the summer of 2020 has also given perspective and relaxation to doing German.
– When you have a child, everything changes. It doesn’t matter if he scores, wins or is injured. Gotta get up and feed him. There is no choice.
A reward for hard work
After two seasons at PSV, Götze, 30, returned for a transfer fee of three million to the Bundesliga team, Frankfurt. Götze has continued his good moves. After 15 played Bundesliga matches, he has two goals and one assist.
Great game performances finally led to an invitation to the national team after a five-year hiatus, when “Die Mannschaft” head coach Flick named the former World Cup hero to the team traveling to Qatar.
– He is a great player who sparks inspiration. Mario has been playing at a very high level for the last few weeks, Flick said at the team’s announcement event.
– I feel that a place in the team is a reward for my hard work. It wouldn’t be possible without my wife, family, great teammates and coaches, Götze expressed on social media after the news.
The former World Cup hero returned to the World Cup arenas in Qatar after an eight-year absence, when Götze came on as a substitute in the match between Germany and Japan on Wednesday.
Germany lost the match 2–1. The team has enough of a challenge, if they want to continue from the first group. On Sunday night, they will face Spain, who crushed Costa Rica no less than 7–0 in their opening match.
In his previous World Cups, Götze led Germany to the end. The upcoming matches will show whether the “prodigy” will lead the Mannschaft to success again.
Sources: The Athletic, ESPN, The Guardian