Mario Götze changes to the Dutch top club PSV Eindhoven. The 28-year-old former soccer world champion will get a two-year contract there, the club announced on its website on Tuesday evening. “We are very proud,” said football director John de Jong. Götze can play offensively in any position and has international experience.
Roger Schmidt, who coached Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and most recently Beijing Guoan in China, has been the coach of the Eredivisie’s second table since this year. Talks between Schmidt and Götze were crucial, it said. “I had a lot of offers this summer, but I am an emotional person and make my own decisions,” Götze was quoted as saying. “I feel ready for a completely different challenge and I am confident that this will be a very pleasant transition for me.”
The former Bayern and BVB professional Götze had been practically unemployed since July. The Dortmund had not extended his contract. The 28-year-old hadn’t played a decisive role in BVB coach Lucien Favre’s plans. He only made 15 appearances last season, mostly as a substitute. Shortly after his return to BVB in the summer of 2016 for 22 million euros, Götze’s career had already taken a downward turn. The reason was health problems. Because of a metabolic disease, the Dortmunders missed him for almost the entire first half of 2017.
While his World Cup colleagues André Schürrle and Benedikt Höwedes ended their careers surprisingly early this summer, Götze left his future open. In addition to a commitment by Hertha BSC, there was also speculation about a return to Bayern. Other alleged candidates were AS Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen, FC Valencia and FC Sevilla.
Götze did not want to move to the United States yet. “My focus is on Europe,” he said recently: “I have ambitious goals and I definitely want to win the Champions League.” However, it is extremely questionable whether that will succeed with Eindhoven. At least this season, the team only plays in the Europa League. And even if she should qualify for the premier class in the future, she is anything but a co-favorite there.
“I need the feeling that I fit in with the club, the coach and their philosophy,” said Götze even before his move. When deciding on a new club, money played a subordinate role. Allegedly Gotze earned ten million euros a year in Dortmund.
“Of course, in times of Corona, such a sum cannot serve as a basis for my negotiations,” he said: “The decisive and really important factors are the athletes: I want to compete, prove myself at the highest level and show that I can do every team can help. My longing for football is very great. “
.
