Mario Götze’s time at Bayern Munich has been nothing short of a disappointment, and a strange one at that.
When he made his highly publicised and highly controversial move to Munich from bitter rivals Dortmund, many saw this as Götze’s chance to establish himself as one of the finest attacking players in the game.
He cited the chance to learn and develop under Pep Guardiola as one of the key factors behind leaving his boyhood club, and joining one of the more powerful clubs in Europe seemed like the ideal launch pad for the next stage of his career.
At one point he was seen as Europe’s answer to Neymar, both were signing hugely lucrative sponsorship and endorsement deals and looked set to become not only two of the best paid athletes around, but also two of the best footballers on earth.
While Neymar’s star has remained in the ascendency, Götze has almost been forgotten.
While not completely frozen out of the Munich side, he is little more than a rotation player and is rarely chosen in key matches, further displaying just how little faith Pep has in the player once dubbed the ‘German Messi’.
With the summer transfer window coming into view it seems almost certain that Mario will leave the club, however the two clubs that are reportedly the most interested may come as a surprise – Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp’s fondness and indeed admiration for Götze is undeniable, but the manner of Mario’s defection to Bavaria makes this more than surprising. Not only did he publically announce that the chance to work with a different coach was a key factor, but also signing right in the heart of Dortmund’s famous, and ultimately bittersweet, Champions League run.
That being said, Götze undeniably played his best football under the enigmatic coach and Klopp will be keen to bring the very best to Liverpool as he looks to turn the club around.
As for a return to Dortmund, the outpouring of anger and grief that surrounded his departure almost suggest a return is impossible. BVB fans were used to players leaving, even when the club were reigning supreme in Germany, Nuri Sahin left for Real Madrid, and Shinji Kagawa departed to Manchester United, but the Götze situation was very different.
He had come through the club’s youth ranks, was the young star in an exciting young team and the poster boy for the Dortmund revolution.
His switch to Bayern remains what is probably the most shocking football transfer in living memory.
Whether Mario Götze really will end up at either of these two clubs remains to be seen, but a player with his potential cannot risk another wasted year, and more time in limbo on the bench.
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