Goal.com Player Profile: Mario Goetze

"Idol" by name and idol by nature. For the manner in which 18-year old Mario Goetze has emerged from nowhere and dazzled Borussia Dortmund's suppporters and coach Juergen Klopp is reminiscent of the impact Thomas Mueller has made at Bayern Munich. An attacking midfielder who can play on either flank, Goetze (whose surname translates to "idol") has lined up already this season alongside established stars such as Lucas Barrios, Nuri Sahin and Sebastian Kehl.

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Career And Success

The Memmingen-born player made his debut for Dortmund's under-17 side at the age of 15 years old. Despite many injuries, which set him back, he managed eight goals and two assists and often completed the full 80 minutes. At 16, he was promoted to the under-19 team. He also suffered greatly with injuries and could only take part in 13 out of 26 matches. However, he was still able to score a further eight goals and assist seven more. For all his impressive performances, he was named in Marco Pezzaiuoli's starting XI at the 2009 U-17 European Championships, which Germany went on to win. He also took part in the Under-17 World Cup that same year and helped Germany reach the quarter-finals where they were knocked out by eventual winners Switzerland.

His performance in both under-age tournaments helped earn him the prestigious Fritz Walter gold medal given to the best player in Germany aged 17 or under. From there followed his first-team debut for Dortmund on November 21, 2009 against Mainz. He made his first appearance as a late substitute for Jakub Blaszczykowski. Since then, Goetze has become an integral part of Juergen Klopp's first choice XI. He played the full 90 minutes in Dortmund's first two games of the Bundesliga season and scored his first Bundesliga goal in front a full house at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart as Dortmund came away with an impressive 3-1 victory. Goetze has also featured in this season's Europa League campaign, starring with two goals in Dortmund's 4-3 group stage win away to Karpaty Lyiv, including a vital winner in the second minute of stoppage time. It therefore comes as no surprise that he won this year's Fritz Walter gold medal at the U-18 level.

Strengths And Weaknesses

A versatile attacking player, Mario fits in perfectly to Klopp's 4-2-3-1 system, as he can play any of the three positions behind the main striker. He normally starts on the right for Dortmund but played as the number 10 for the German youth sides. His versatility is further aided by the fact that he is two-footed. Despite his youth, he exudes calmness in his play, shows good vision, and has a sharp eye for delivering defence-splitting balls into the lone striker, Lucas Barrios. Furthermore, he is a threat with his long range shooting and capable of making a sizeable goalscoring contribution to the team. It is interesting to note that he has played in five different teams in the last three years, and has fit in to every side without any problems, highlighting his adaptability.

On the other hand, his susceptibility to injury remains a weakness. In three years he has not yet played an entire season injury-free and it remains to be seen whether he can cope with the rigours of a full Bundesliga season. He also needs to work on tracking back to help out the full-back, especially if he plays on the left in front of an inexperienced Marcel Schmelzer. In such a young side as Dortmund's, it is vital that the attacking midfielders do their bit to help out the defence.

Where Goetze Fits Into Klopp's Plans

Mario Goetze most certainly has the opportunity to play regularly in Dortmund's fresh, young side. There is no doubt that Dortmund have immense competition for places in attacking midfield with the likes of Mohamed Zidan (currently injured), Blaszczykowski, Kevin Grosskreutz, Tamas Hajnal, Shinji Kagawa and Goetze himself fighting over three places. Should Goetze succeed in overcoming this competition for places and establish himself in the side, he could well become a star for both club and country in the years to come.

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