The Bayern and German midfielder will lineup against Barcelona in their quarter-final match on Friday in Lisbon, Portugal.
Goretzka, 25-year-old, joined Bayern on a free transfer from Schalke 04 in 2018, after playing for 5 years between 2013-2018, making 116 appearances and scoring 16 goals. The midfielder can play as an attacking or defensive midfielder has represented Germany in the U-16, U-17, U-19, U-21, and he was also part of the German Olympic team in 2016; he has, however, been promoted to the senior team with 25 caps to his name and 11 goals.
The Bochum born midfielder is a towering figure in the middle of the park, with great body strengths does a lot of the dirty work for Bayern Munich on the field, he has a good range of pass which helps the team turn defense into attack quickly.
The midfielder will come up against another top player in Lionel Messi twice, facing Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League.
Unfortunately, Goretzka has played Ronaldo in two games while he was at Schalke 04, and twice he has lost both games in the round of 16 knockouts for the German club.
Speaking to the press ahead of their match on Friday.
“After having played Cristiano Ronaldo several times, it’s nice to be able to play against another leading footballer of our decade,” said Goretzka.
“The only way it works [stopping Messi] is collective. Everyone knows just how gifted he is, he is capable of finding many solutions also in tight situations. We will have to fight back as a team. If one player can actually take away his fun in the game, I don’t know. We just have to fight back as a team and try to play our game.”
“Back then, I deliberately took a long time. I had a few options to stay with Schalke. I listened to everything and made a conscious decision in favor of Bayern. I have never regretted making this decision,” he said.
“This is a knockout game. The right mental mix is always required. Yesterday the Leverkusen game annoyed me because they actually played a good game but were eliminated because of 20 minutes. I had the feeling that they would have progressed over two legs,” he said.
“I think we can beat any opponent. Nevertheless, we know that a very good team is waiting for us with world-class players. We will play with our chests puffed out like we have over the past nine months. We are already in a positive mood.”
The midfielder gets his first chance to play a competitive match against Messi when the Bavarian play the Catalan giant in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in Lisbon on Friday.
