Midfielder starred for leaders but his future lies away from club that plays in different style to when he was in his pomp. T here were times in the past when it seemed like he would do this forever; there were other times when it felt like he would never do it again.
Not predictably so, however. Having once been one of the avowed cornerstones of present and future Bayern, Goretzka is in the unusual position of having to prove himself all over again, though not necessarily to his current employers. Stymied by injuries and having failed to become the mainstay all assumed that he would become, the year-old Goretzka still has plenty of supporters around him in the dressing room, most notably Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich. Yet this felt more like a right here right now curio rather than a pointer to the future.
Bayern are more at peace than most clubs with one of the harsh realities of sport; not everyone can get paid. Christoph Freund and Max Eberl are juggling more contractual balls than is entirely optimal at present. The first year of Hansi Flick was breathtaking, culminating in a six-trophy sweep that was carried out in style.
The club played in the image that it always wants to project. Bold, fearless, thrilling and unbeatable. That year was a peak of winningness and stylishness which the club had long lusted after but had not quite ever delivered, not even under Pep Guardiola. Bayern have since won trophies but lived in doubt, searching for an equally emphatic identity on and off the field, and have never come close to the same fluency.
Sometimes the Flick era seems like a dream. The overflowing majesty of Flick-era Bayern was unmatchable, but some seem to feel that its main protagonists have let us down by no longer living in that state.
