Germany 1990 World Cup hero Brehme backs recall for 2014 icon Mario Gotze
GERMANY’S 1990 World Cup hero Andreas Brehme has backed 2014 icon Mario Götze’s recall to the squad for the Qatar World Cup.
Brehme scored the winner from the spot as West Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in 1990, with Götze netting a more spectacular goal in extra-time to defeat the same opponents 1-0 in the 2014 final.
Götze then struggled in club football but a move to Eintracht Frankfurt has reignited his career and he is back in the squad for the first time since 2017.
Brehme, 62, told dpa he “definitely welcomes” the 30-year-old’s return because “Mario Götze is performing well in Frankfurt.” He compared his experiences to those of Götze.
“His was a world-class goal, the way he controlled the ball and finished,” Brehme said, adding that it should have been a boost rather than a burden to the then 22-yearold Götze.
“I think his advisers should have supported and protected him more back then.” Brehme’s 1990 goal changed his life “in a positive sense” in contrast.
“I became world champion. And I scored the goal. That did a lot for me in terms of advertising, for example,” he said.
Brehme has high hopes for Germany this time, particularly because of coach Hansi Flick, his former Bayern Munich team-mate. The Qatar tournament starts on Sunday, with Germany’s first game against Japan on November 23. “Hansi was an important player for us, a worker in midfield. And that’s how he is as a coach, a worker,” Brehme said.