The transfer of Mario Götze is a coup for Eintracht Frankfurt, and the 2014 world champion is also happy about this “very important step”. Back in the Bundesliga, he doesn’t want to put too much pressure on himself. In his career, however, he regrets a missed opportunity.

After moving to Eintracht Frankfurt, Mario Götze does not want to think too far into the future. “I used to make plans about what I wanted to achieve, what level I wanted to reach in a year or two. That doesn’t exist anymore. I’m concentrating on today, the next day and the week,” said the world champion of 2014 in an interview with “Sport Bild”.

In his career, the 2014 World Cup winner felt “a certain pressure and a certain expectation”. “Today it’s a pleasure,” explained Götze: “I realized that you have to work up pressure. You have to earn high expectations! You’re only ever expected to do what you think you’re capable of.” He can now “classify it better than a few years ago”.

The change from Dutch first division club PSV Eindhoven to Europa League winner Frankfurt was a “very important step” for him, said Götze. In contrast to the past, there are no longer any plans “which level I want to reach in one or two years”: “I’m concentrating on today, the next day and the week. Of course I have goals and I know the game plan, but I can let it run now.”

The World Cup in Qatar in the fall and the EM 2024 are also “far away” for him. At the moment Götze is “not busy with the national team”. Götze had played for Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich before his time in the Netherlands.

In retrospect, he regrets that he returned to Dortmund after his time at Bayern instead of joining Liverpool. “Liverpool finished eighth in the first season with Jürgen and didn’t qualify for the Champions League. Even in previous years, it wasn’t the club that always played at the top. I came from Bayern and had this claim,” explained Götze . “Dortmund had previously played a top season under Thomas Tuchel. BVB was up. Jürgen (Klopp, editor’s note) was still building something up. Looking back, I have to say: Liverpool would have been better.”

Götze praised the coach: “Every coach had his strengths and his own philosophy, but from my point of view Jürgen did it best in the area of ??people management – the team, the staff, the whole club led the best.”