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Former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich midfielder Mario Gotze has expressed his desire to play alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona. Gotze is currently playing in the Eredivisie for PSV Eindhoven.
Gotze was part of the Germany team that won the 2014 FIFA World Cup, defeating the Lionel Messi-led Argentina in the final. Incidentally he scored the only goal of the final in Rio de Janeiro after coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute of the match.
Gotze joined PSV from Borussia Dortmund in the 2020 summer transfer window but he still harbors hopes of playing alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona.
"To celebrate possession football with this [Barca] team, alongside Lionel Messi, that would be a dream. I want to play the Champions League again," Gotze told 11Freunde.
Gotze last represented Germany in 2018 but with an upturn in form in the Netherlands, he could be in line for a recall. He realizes that he needs to perform consistently to stand a chance of wearing the Germany whites again.
"The best German players should come together in the national team, otherwise it will be difficult to survive against the big nations. Jogi's [Joachim Low] successor will see it that way too. It is clear that in order to be called up again, I have to perform consistently," he said.
Does Gotze have enough time to get a chance to play with Lionel Messi at Barcelona?
Gotze also talked about his future at PSV. He clarified that he will only discuss an extension on his current contract, which runs until 2022, if manager Roger Schmidt stays at the club.
"If Roger wanted to leave, I would worry. We have agreed with PSV that we will sit down on an extraordinary offer," he added.
28-year-old Gotze has scored six goals and assisted as many times in 24 appearances for PSV across all competitions.
An early bloomer, he still has ample time to up the ante and get a shot at playing with Lionel Messi at Barcelona.
Even Lionel Messi's future at Barcelona is in major doubt with the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain interested in signing the Argentine.
