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What's the story?
Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus has opened up about Mario Gotze's decision to leave the club for arch-rivals Bayern Munich back in 2013, stating that he was disappointed and stumped by the move.
In case you didn't know...
Gotze departed Signal Iduna Park to join Bayern Munich in the summer of 2013, much to the shock and anger of his teammates and the BVB brigade.
The Germany international's first season under Pep Guardiola was fairly decent and saw him score ten goals and provide nine assists in twenty Bundesliga starts for Bayern.
The midfielder went on to score the winning goal against Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final the following summer, leaving higher expectations for the next campaign. Despite managing to tally nine goals and four assists the following season, his form plundered and the devastating dribbling and urgency that defined him became less obvious.
Gotze lifted three Bundesliga titles and two German cups before making his way back home to Borussia Dortmund in 2016.
The heart of the matter
Reus, who remains Gotze's close friend, has revealed that he was initially disappointed by the midfielder's decision to switch allegiances with their arch-rivals.
In an interview with DAZN, as quoted by Bundesliga's official website, he recalled, "I was at home, [the doorbell] rang and Mario was at my door. He told me personally that he will leave the club and take a different path."
"We had a good team that was well set for the years to come. And I felt we could play even better together, so it was difficult to take at that moment. I didn't know what to do or say."
"Was I angry? I don't want to say that, but of course, you always want to play with the best players. When one of the best goes, it's difficult to understand."
"In the end, everyone makes their own decisions. You only have one career. And if that was the right decision for him, then everybody must accept that."
What's next?
Borussia Dortmund are scheduled to face European champions, Liverpool, in a club-friendly tomorrow.
