Away from the limelight, Mario Gotze has reignited what once was a waning career. The German international, having found a home at PSV in the Netherlands, is eyeing a return to the top-five leagues in the near future.
Despite choosing against moving to the Premier League earlier in his career, the German international hopes to play in the competition in the future, he revealed in a recent interview. Having resurrected his career in the Netherlands, Gorze winner is eyeing a return to one of the top five leagues in Europe while also retaining hope of winning the Champions League.
“I’ve always made it my mission that I really want to win the Champions League. That would be something I’d still like to achieve. I want to, I don’t have to. I think the competition is simply outstanding,”
the 29-year-old told Sports Illustrated.
“I’ve now made the step out of the Bundesliga to Holland to see and experience something new. I knew only the Bundesliga, in which I played for 10 years.
With my above-mentioned goal, however, I want to play at the highest level in Europe; preferably in Italy or Spain.
“The Premier League with its balanced league also appeals to me.”
Gotze came close to signing for Liverpool – and reuniting with his Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp in the process – in 2016. The attacker cited Liverpool’s poor record and lack of Champions League participation as key factors in his decision making, which, in turn, diverted him back to Dortmund from Bayern Munich. The German had also been linked with the Reds back in 2013, but nothing came of it, too.
Instead, Gotze would move from Dortmund to Bayern and back to Dortmund again, with his career already on a downward trajectory by the time he had returned to Signal Iduna Park. Entering the twilight years of his career, he decided to leave the Bundesliga for good and continue his football with PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie; he has scored 16 goals in 66 appearances for the Dutch giants, since, but an international call-up remains elusive – with his last one coming in 2017.
