Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka: “Bochum showed what you can achieve with passion”
Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka sang the praises of his hometown club Bochum after they ran the record champions close in their DFB Cup second-round clash on Tuesday.
The Bundesliga 2 club have had a difficult season so far and sit third from bottom in the second tier, but they were just minutes away from a major upset as they led the cup holders 1-0 with seven minutes remaining.
However, two quick-fire goals from Serge Gnabry and Thomas Müller put an end to the dream of a cupset at the Ruhrstadion. Goretzka, though, commended the club where he spent over a decade as a youngster.
“Bochum showed what you can achieve with a lot of passion,” the 24-year-old said after the game. “They put in a really good performance and you definitely have to praise them for how they did.”
It was an emotional homecoming for the 23-time Germany. Born in the city, he joined the club as a six-year-old in 2001 and worked his way through the academy before his professional debut with the first team in Bundesliga 2 at the age of 17.
“It was really nice to walk down that corridor and up those steps again out onto the pitch. It really brought back memories, a lot of great memories and I really enjoyed it,” the Bayern midfielder admitted.
The last time he had done that was in May 2013 when he played his final home game for Bochum at home to Union Berlin before departing for local rivals Schalke.
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The significance of that move came to light again recently when Goretzka was nominated for the ‘Football Quote of the Year’ by the Deutsche Akademie für Fußball-Kultur (German Academy for Football Culture).
When responding to questions about racist chanting in Germany’s friendly match against Serbia in Wolfsburg earlier this year, in which he scored, Goretzka said: “I’m a kid of the Ruhr Valley. There, when someone asks you your nationality, you reply with either Schalke, Dortmund or Bochum.”
The latter lies between the two cities of Gelsenkirchen and Dortmund at the heart of the industrial Ruhr area, where such passionate and hardworking displays as shown by Bochum are revered and lauded.
While the now Bayern man was eventually pleased with the result on his return home, he also believes he has some way to go as he seeks a return to form following a thigh injury.
“It definitely wasn’t what I’m capable of but it was my first game after a long layoff and I have to find my rhythm again,” he said of his first competitive start since August’s Supercup defeat at Borussia Dortmund.
“You’re never happy to be subbed off but you have to understand it was the first time I’d started in nearly eight weeks. There’s definitely room for improvement.”
With the Munich club safely through to the round of 16 in the DFB Cup, they will find out their next opponents as they continue the defence of their domestic double when the draw is made on Sunday.
Before then, however, the champions are in Bundesliga action on Saturday as Niko Kovac takes Goretzka and the rest of the Bayern squad back to his former club Eintracht Frankfurt as they look to wrestle first spot from Borussia Mönchengladbach in an incredibly right title race.
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