Leon Goretzka reflects on his decision to leave Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich's German midfielder #08 Leon Goretzka during the German first division Bundesliga football match between SC Freiburg and FC Bayern Munich in Freiburg, southern Germany, on March 4, 2026. (Photo by Silas STEIN / AFP via Getty Images) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO | AFP via Getty Images

Leon Goretzka has been an important player at the club since the 2018/19 season when he immediately made his impact felt with 8 goals and 5 assists in just the Bundesliga that season. Goretzka would go onto an even more successful season winning the sextuple under Hansi Flick in 2020 being a core member of that group. Fast forward all the way to 2026, and Goretzka is still logging serious minutes for the Bavarians. After eight illustrous season in Munich, Goretzka will be moving on from the club.

A decision which has been received well from the fans as Goretzka is perceived to be on the decline of his career at the age of 31, but still offering the club with solid service this season. While the German midfielder may no longer performing at his previous levels, Goretzka has always given his best to the club, even if the club didn’t feel the same way towards the Bochum-born player.

While reflecting on his time with the club, Goretzka recently chimed in on his decision to leave and his confidence for the upcoming weeks.

“In January, I made a conscious decision to stay here until the summer. I feel that anything really is possible this season. The right players are in the right place, with the right coach, at the right club. I‘m absolutely convinced that we can win everything this year – even though I know how difficult that is. But we’ll give it a try,” Goretzka said, as captured by @iMiaSanMia.

It makes perfect sense that Goretzka would want to stay for the remainder of the season. While Bayern Munich could have collected a small fee for his sale over the winter, Bayern now retained an important midfielder in crucial matches in the last two months of the season and Goretzka has an opportunity to go out of Munich on top.

Bayern has become a serious contender for the Champions League this season and while Goretzka may not the main man in Munich, Goretzka has appeared in eight of those matches in the UCL so far, albeit only logging 173 minutes during that time. What’s done is done between the club and Goretzka and while not all fans feel the same way about Goretzka, it would truly be something special to see Goretzka lift the Champions League trophy one more time, for the club he has given everything for.