Mario’s career path has been a rollercoaster up this point, with constant fitness challenges and a battle with metabolic disease curtailing his progress after his game-winning goal in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final for Germany.
Gotze wants to play alongside Messi
Mario Gotze has expressed his dream to play with Lionel Messi at Barcelona while discussing his prospects of earning a recall to the national team. His career path has been a rollercoaster up this point, with constant fitness challenges and a battle with metabolic disease curtailing his progress after his game-winning goal in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final for Germany. Gotze also won multiple titles at both BVB and Bayern Munich before his decline began. After an ill-fated second spell at Westfalenstadion, he now finds himself playing with Dutch giants PSV. Gotze has shown glimpses of the form he once saw, praised as one of the brightest talents of his generation since moving to Philips Stadion and now admitting that he still has the ambition to return to the highest level of play.
The German insisted that he was willing to sit down with PSV to negotiate an extension of his contract
The 28-year-old says the Camp Nou would be his first choice in the next direction, having long been a fan of Barca’s style of play and club captain Messi. “It would be a dream to celebrate possession of the football with the Barca team, with Lionel Messi,” Gotze told reporters. “I want to play in the Champions League again.” Gotze insisted that he was willing to sit down with PSV to negotiate an extension of his contract beyond 2022. The only stipulation was that head coach Roger Schmidt remains at the club alongside him. “If Roger wanted to leave, I would be worried,” he said. “We agreed with PSV that we will sit down on an extraordinary offer.”
Gotze’s last appearance for his country came back in 2018, but current boss Joachim Low hinted that he could welcome the ex-Bayern star back into the fold if he continues to perform well at PSV. Low will step down after this summer’s European Championship but is set to select his final squad for the tournament at the end of the month, with Gotze willing to do whatever he can to make the final cut. “The best German players have to come together in the national team; otherwise, it will be difficult to survive against big nations,” he added. “Low’s successor will see it that way too. It is clear that to be called up again, and I have to perform consistently.”