The trend is rising: Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka (center) is proving to be a solid pillar in midfield alongside Harry Kane (left). On the ground Augsburg’s Elvis Rexhbecaj.
Photo: dpa/Sven Hoppe
Can it be that everything is the same again and at the same time a lot of things are new? Things are going pretty smoothly at FC Bayern at the moment, which is why even this apparent contradiction isn’t a problem. This could also be observed in the 3-0 (0-0) win against FC Augsburg, when coach Vincent Kompany’s team lined up in front of the fan stand, jumped to the beat of the European Cup chants and Harry Kane was once again particularly applauded. Honorary President Uli Hoeneß had previously even promised the championship title.
The attacker Kane then scored his next hat trick, his seventh in the Bundesliga and eighth overall for Munich since his arrival in August 2023. He had once again converted two penalties with great aplomb, they were the 24th and 25th in a row , after he last missed in England’s national team at the 2022 World Cup. On Friday evening, like after every hat trick, he took a ball home with him, which is why sports director Max Eberl joked that Kane needed “a ball sack for all the balls,” while at FC Bayern they would “soon not have any left for training.”
Nevertheless, for Kane everything was the same and at the same time some things were new. The 31-year-old had set a special final point with his 14th league goal and 20th overall in his 17 appearances this season, when he so artfully received Leon Goretzka’s cross while jumping with his right foot that he nodded the ball directly with his forehead could. His wife wrote to him, “She didn’t think I was so agile,” Kane reported amused after his acrobatic number and admitted: “I’ve never scored a goal like that before.” He said: “I’m probably in the best position Shape of my career.«
In the shadow of Kane’s hat trick, Goretzka showed on Friday evening that everything can be the same again and a lot of things can be new at the same time. On the one hand, it was a familiar sight that Goretzka lined up in midfield alongside Joshua Kimmich. But this image was only familiar from the more recent past, when both formed the central duo in front of the defense at FC Bayern and in the national team. Now it was a novelty this season, which only happened because Aleksandar Pavlovic broke his collarbone before his first representative João Palhinha tore a muscle bundle.
If FC Bayern had had its way, Goretzka would have changed clubs last summer. But the former national player didn’t want that, he stayed and took the chance against Augsburg to prepare for the big games against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, at Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga on Saturday and against Bayer Leverkusen in the cup. Recommendable as a regular in the round of 16 on Tuesday in a week. Besides Kane and Jamal Musiala, Goretzka was the most noticeable player against FCA, far beyond his assist. He often intervened at the front, finished several times, even hit the crossbar once, presented himself as a strong duel and prevented a counterattack with a tackle. They were silent exclamation points with which Goretzka reminded everyone of the value he can have for the team.
The 29-year-old didn’t want to talk about his situation afterwards. His coach took care of that. “The story is beautiful,” said Kompany, especially because Goretzka is now a role model for all the dissatisfied in the squad. Goretzka worked “very, very hard, he simply trained like a top professional and did everything he could to show that he had the qualities. And he waited for his chance.« Kompany’s message: This could be the case for others too.
However, Goretzka’s story has a catch: fundamentally, nothing has changed in his situation. His well-paid contract runs until mid-2026, but according to FC Bayern, Goretzka should disappear from the payroll next summer at the latest. Goretzka recently changed advisors. This could indicate that a transfer is being prepared. Eberl now only publicly referred to the discussions last summer, the status quo, and said: “We will discuss what the future holds with the boy again.” Although Goretzka has recently been in demand as a regular employee again, at least for the time being, in his case he remains much the same.
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