Götze reveals the two sides of Guardiola: “You could see a clear difference in his behavior”
Mario Götze’s career since he exploded as a child at Borussia Dortmund has been full of ups and downs, largely due to the physical and health problems that have followed him all these years. Now, with the maturity that his 32 years of age give him and the confidence he feels after having had a great season in the ranks of Eintracht, he tells ‘Zeit’ some of the most delicate moments of his career.
Götze, along with Sahin, Kawaga and Lewandowski
It was the 2012-13 season when the news leaked that, at the end of the year, Mario Götze would pack his bags to leave Borussia Dortmund and sign for its biggest rival: Bayern Munich. Fate, always capricious, wanted Both teams will meet in the Champions League final at Wembley.…which ended up falling to the Bavarian side thanks to a goal on the horn by Arjen Robben.
Days later, Bayern made the signing of Mario Götze official. Possibly the greatest talent that existed at that time in German football. Unlike Robert Lewandowski, who joined Bayern as a free agent a year later, Götze did leave money in the club’s coffers. Exactly, 37 million euros. However, His fans understood it as a betrayal and so they let him know.
I will never forget how one day 60 fans came to our training just to insult me.
“I will never forget how one day 60 fans came to our training session just to insult me. I was 20 years old and decided to go to Bayern for rational reasons”says Mario Götze who, with the passage of time, seems to have become aware of what happened: “Only after having taken a lot of distance was I able to appreciate and understand these reactions.”
From heaven to hell
After his signing for Bayern Munich, Mario Götze touched heaven… but he also descended into hell. A few months after landing, He dressed as a hero of the German team to score the goal that made them world champions in 2014. It was the happiest moment of his career. But He was not able to give it continuity.
Götze during a match with Bayern Munich
Could not bear the weight of expectations and, weighed down by his incessant physical problems, he was never able to become what he promised in Dortmund. “If I didn’t start two games, for me it was the end of the world. After staying on the bench, I would drive home and start running for two hours”confesses the German.
If I didn’t start two games, for me it was the end of the world
in bavaria could have coincided with Pep Guardiola which, from his point of view, had two faces: “Their tension was enormous. You could see a clear difference in their behavior depending on whether we were about to play a Bundesliga or Champions League match. They were two different people.”
There was a clear difference in their behavior depending on whether we were about to play a Bundesliga or Champions League match.
Finally, Guardiola ended up leaving Bayern Munich without winning any Champions League. Exactly the same thing that happened to a Mario Götze who, in the summer of 2016, returned to Borussia Dortmund in exchange for 22 million euros.
Götze with Guardiola
A story of improvement
They say that second parts were never good. But Götze’s at Signal Iduna Park couldn’t have been worse. And, between injuries and illnesses, He missed more than 60 games. The most serious problem came in February 2017. That is, a few months after returning. A metabolic problem was detected which led him to lose physical shape abruptly. “It was a sign that I had demanded too much of my body. I didn’t let it breathe, I demanded it as if it were a robot and it couldn’t function”Götze confessed a few years ago.
My contract at Dortmund had just expired, Covid broke out and for the first time in my life I was without a club for three months
Four years later, he left his beloved Borussia Dortmund and gave a step back signing for PSV with the clear objective of enjoying football again. “My contract at Dortmund had just expired, Covid broke out and for the first time in my life I was without a club for three months. Then my son was born too early and was in the intensive care unit for three weeks. Afterwards I had a completely new perspective “Nothing is more important than my family being healthy.”
Mario Götze during a match with Eintracht Frankfurt
Götze’s is, without a doubt, a story of improvement. Perhaps, it never lived up to expectations. But Football gave him a second chance to return to the Bundesliga last year. Eintracht took over his services in exchange for three million euros and has become a key piece for Dino Toppmöller. Not in vain, he has been the seventh player who has played the most minutes Of the template. Götze, after a long time, enjoys football again.
