Mario Götze showed his talent at Borussia Dortmund’s academy, and as a teenager became a title-winner in Jurgen Klopp’s first team, becoming the youngest player ever to be called up to the German national team in 2010, and attracting worldwide attention as a true prodigy.
In 2013, he moved to Bayern Munich, where more glory was supposed to await him. However, the German champions failed to show the brilliance of his Dortmund days and his career went downhill. It was his former mentor who reached out to him.
Klopp took over as Liverpool manager in 2015, and in the summer of 2016 he made a move for his former pupil from his time in Germany. The former Germany midfielder revealed that he was invited to his home at the time and although he was persuaded, he revealed how he decided to move to his old club after prioritising the title.
“In 2016, I nearly went to a famous team in England called Liverpool.”
“The coach there was a man named Jürgen Klopp.”
“I went to his house in Liverpool. We sat down together in the living room with our wives.”
“What makes Jürgen special is that he sees Mario the person. He asked me about life in general.”
“He said something like, ‘Look, Mario, you’ll play a lot, and you’ll have fun here. I know that’s the most important thing for you. The club is amazing. Have a think about it.’”
“I also wanted to win things right away. Liverpool had just finished eighth in England, and Dortmund had come second in Germany.”
“So I went back. But I do feel that I missed out on a special journey with Jurgen.”
“I didn’t understand that he needed time to build a great team at Liverpool.”
“There was not really any need for me to play in the Champions League right away.”
The Player’s Tribune
Returning to Dortmund in 2016, he joined Eintracht Frankfurt from 2022 via PSV Eindhoven in 2020. With his experience-based performances, he adds an exquisite flavour to the team.
What sort of career will the former prodigy, now 32, have in store for him in the future…?