'German Messi' no longer: How Mario Goetze carved out his niche

“It is not possible to stop Mario Goetze. He has the same assets and is an instinctive footballer just like Lionel Messi,” Franz Beckenbauer said in August 2011. Goetze was just 19-years-old at the time. In the 113th minute of the 2014 World Cup final against Argentina on Sunday, Goetze chested down a delicious Andre Schurrle cross and struck it on the volley from a tight angle past Sergio Romero in the Argentinian goal. In one shot, he showed the world the instincts Beckenbauer was talking about three years ago, won his country a fourth World Cup and outshone the man he has been compared to all his life. Goetze also became the youngest ever goalscorer in a World Cup final and the only substitute to have scored the tournament winner. [caption id=“attachment_1618093” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] Being compared to Messi is one thing; living up to it is another. And while Messi was already being hailed as a great when he was 22 years old, Goetze chose just the right moment to realise his potential and transform it into reality. Some credit should also go to Joachim Loew for Goetze’s performance. The forward had lost his starting place to Miroslav Klose after the group stages and was sporadically used in the knockouts. But just when it seemed he would not see any more action in Brazil, Loew brought him on with these words: “Show them that you are better (than Messi) and can decide the World Cup.” It was the the most impossible of tasks — prove you’re better than Messi and decide the World Cup. Thirty two minutes later, Goetze may not have proved that he is better than Messi, but he has won a World Cup for his country, something Messi cannot say, and may never be able to say. “He is the wonder who can play in numerous positions, he is the decider who can come on and make a difference and that is what he did,” Low said of his 22-year-old match-winner. Goetze started off at Borussia Dortmund’s academy and made his way up into the first team, breaking through at the age of 17 and providing glimpses of his class. Luckily for him, Dormund manager Jurgen Klopp believes in giving youth its due, and so Goetze was in the perfect hands and developed rapidly. He made just five appearances in the 2009/10 season but was a regular starter in the next campaign, amassing eight goals and 15 assists. But it was in 2012/13 that he really started making his mark. In 44 appearances across all competitions, he scored 16 and created 21 others as Dortmund reached the Champions League final. A multi-million transfer to Bayern Munich was quickly sorted out and Goetze got 15 goals and 13 assists in his first season with the Bavarian giants. Goetze’s ability to slip through clusters of defenders, shoot with both feet, play across the forward line and be comfortable in a passing team like Dortmund gave rise to the Messi comparison. But while the world swoons over how the pretender overshadowed the real deal, Goetze has a different idol he wants to emulate. “Me, the German Messi?. No I want to be the German Cristiano Ronaldo.” As of now, he’s neither. He’s Mario Goetze, world champion.