FC Bayern and Real Madrid are waiting, but first Mario Götze is going to Magdeburg. The 30-year-old made his debut for Eintracht Frankfurt in the first round of the DFB Cup - and he was convincing. Coach Oliver Glasner is thrilled, Götze is very happy. Now it's back to the big stage.
Of course, 79 minutes in the first competitive game is not enough to get a complete and conclusive impression. However, it's entirely possible that this debut appearance by Mario Götze will prove to be seminal for his time at Eintracht Frankfurt. Then both sides would have made a good decision when they agreed to work together this summer. "It feels really good," said Götze after the confident 4-0 (2-0) win at second division newcomers 1. FC Magdeburg, which the 30-year-old played a decisive role in shaping.
"I am a bit amused," said coach Oliver Glasner after the final whistle, "that everyone asks me about Mario". After all, Daichi Kamada, one of the Europa League heroes of the previous season, scored two goals and Kevin Trapp saved a penalty early in the game, preventing Magdeburg from equalizing. "It just shows how important Mario still is in Germany." A value that always means a big magnifying glass since Götze made himself immortal in football history in the 2014 World Cup final.
In Magdeburg, the attacking player showed that his time at PSV Eindhoven did him good. He initiated the first Frankfurt goal by Kamada on the left wing with a fine chip ball, which Filip Kostić opened up the wing. Kamada deliberately pushed his thoughtful back pass into the middle from the edge of the penalty area to take the lead. Again and again Götze showed his class in the game opening, but also seemed physically and running in top shape for this early stage of the season.
Glasner also emphasized the overview of the 63-time German national player, who seems to have found himself in the two years in the Netherlands and away from the great everyday attention. "That wide-ranging view when the opponent presses," praised the coach, which can be seen in the way Jesper Lindström made it 2-0. Götze got the ball in his own half, then passed three Magdeburgers with a high pass, while Ansgar Knauff won the sprint duel and ran alone towards the opposing goal.
"It's the highest art," Glasner said of his new playmaker. Knauff missed the chance, but the rebound landed on Lindström, who hit the far post from 20 meters with a fine foot for an early preliminary decision. "I think maybe I can be the piece of the puzzle in the system," Götze said afterwards about his appealing performance in the first competitive game under Glasner. "Of course he also gives me freedom," the 30-year-old also indicated that he had a similar idea of his role as the coach. In the course of his return to Germany, he had identified this as a "decisive point in a change".
After his rise at Borussia Dortmund, the difficult years at FC Bayern and the unsatisfactory return to BVB, Götze not only appeared physically in shape, but also mentally optimistic. "It was a good decision for me" to switch from Eindhoven to Main, "the complete package was just good". The metabolic disorder, which he first made public in early 2017, no longer seems to cause him any problems. The aura of the place of well-being that Eintracht Frankfurt sometimes gives has apparently already caught Götze.
After the feasible initial task in Magdeburg, however, two crackers are now waiting for the SBU and their newcomer, who will also bring the big spotlight with them. At the start of the Bundesliga, Frankfurt will welcome the series champions from Munich on Friday (8.30 p.m. / Sat.1, Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de). "I'm looking forward to it," said Götze about the reunion with FC Bayern, "it will be good". A few days, next Wednesday (August 10, 9 p.m.) the stage will be a little bigger. In Helsinki, Eintracht meets Champions League winners Real Madrid to play out the European Super Cup. For Götze the chance to consolidate the strong first impression.
