Leon Christoph Goretzka (born 6 February 1995) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. Starting off his career with VfL Bochum in 2012, he went on play more than 100 Bundesliga games for Schalke 04 before signing with Bayern Munich in 2018. A full international since 2014, he has won more than 40 caps for the German national team and represented his country at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2020. He was also a part of the Germany Olympic team that finished second at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
In 2013, Goretzka was referred to as one of the brightest talents in German football. Peter Neururer, Goretzka's head coach at Bochum, said that he had "never seen an eighteen year old footballer which had a potential as Goretzka", and titled him as the "talent of the century". Goretzka has a potent eye for scoring goals and is known to possess good ball control ability and also has the ability to pick out passes for his teammates. He produces powerful shots from outside the penalty area. He is also well known for his excellent heading ability which sees him regularly score goals with his head. At 1.89 m, Goretzka's high-jumping ability helps him to win aerial battles against strong and tall defenders. His main position is as a central midfielder, although he can be deployed as a defensive midfielder, a right winger and a playmaker. Goretzka's game has often been compared to two of Germany's footballing greats, Lothar Matthäus and Michael Ballack. |
