The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsOne would think that scoring the winning goal in a World Cup final would be enough to make you a national sporting hero – an untouchable and divine being in the eyes of the public – and to a certain extent this is the case for Mario Goetze.
One year on from his golden goal in the Maracana, the 23 year-old is still referred to as “miracle boy” – a title first given to him by Loew after the final – and is still constantly reminded of THAT goal. And why should we expect anything different?
It was the goal that announced him to the world, and the sheer skill of it confirmed to all his status as one of the most gifted players on the planet. It has been the benchmark for everything he has done since, and whilst this has made him an indelible icon for German football, it has carried with it a weight of expectation that appears to have crippled him in recent months.
It is therefore surprising, and slightly shocking, that in the space of a year Goetze has gone from being “better than Messi” to struggling to make the starting eleven for Bayern, and with the hopes of a nation resting on his shoulders, many fear that Goetze will never quite be the player people thought he would one day become.
Here at The Sports Lowdown, our writer Dan Culyer takes an inside look at the stigma attached to both Goetze and club Bayern Munich, assessing where both parties stand, as well as reaching a conclusion as to what the future may hold for Goetze.
