By 90min | Created at 2024-11-24 10:58:42 | Updated at 2024-11-24 13:59:08
3 hours ago
Mario Gotze admits he should have been "a little more patient" after a potential 2016 move to Liverpool failed to matieralise.
Gotze, who scored the winning goal for Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, had played under then-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, establishing himself as one of world football's finest young prospects.
A move to Bayern Munich had failed to work out for Gotze, who saw the peak years of his career ravaged by injury and illness, and the opportunity to reunite with Klopp at Liverpool was seemingly on the cards.
But the Reds were in a period of transition when Klopp took over, rebuilding the foundations that eventually led to Premier League and Champions League glory, and that was a factor in Gotze opting to rejoin Borussia Dortmund.
In an interview with The Players Tribune, titled 'A Letter to My Children', Gotze revealed that he went to Liverpool to visit Klopp to discuss the move, but couldn't look past where the club currently were and the potential opportunity to immediately play in the Champions League.
"I also wish I had been a little more patient," Gotze recalled. "I’ll give you an example. In 2016, I nearly went to a famous team in England called Liverpool. The coach there was a man named Jurgen Klopp.
"Maybe you have seen pictures of him? Tall, big smile, very funny. Jurgen had been my coach at Dortmund, and I did not realise how lucky I was to have him.
"I went to his house in Liverpool, where we sat down together in the living room with our wives. What makes Jürgen special is that he sees Mario the person. We did not talk much about football. He wasn’t saying, “How can I convince you? What do you want?”
Gotze was Germany's hero in the 2014 World Cup final / Simon M Bruty/GettyImages
"He asked me about life in general, and I think 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 really wanted to play for him again."
He continued of his eventual decision to return to Dortmund: "I also wanted to win things right away. I was so impatient! Liverpool had just finished eighth in England, and Dortmund had come second in Germany. Dortmund had also signed Andre Schurrle, one of my best friends in football.
"I remembered how much fun it had been the first time, when we won two league titles and made it to the Champions League final. Maybe things would be like in the good old days, you know?
"So I went back. And as much as I love Dortmund, 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. I just didn’t think that far ahead."
Two years after the move was discussed, Liverpool were beaten in the Champions League final by Real Madrid before getting their hands on the trophy 12 months later - their sixth success in the competition. They were crowned Premier League champions for the first time a season later, with Klopp ending the club's 30-year wait for a top-flight crown.
