Leon Goretzka took full advantage of the Bundesliga’s two-month break to emerge as the muscular driving force behind Bayern Munich’s march to yet another title.
The former Schalke midfielder scored the winning goal in the 86th minute on Saturday as Bayern beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1 to move within touching distance of a record-extending eighth consecutive title.
“It’s not a big surprise for me,” Gladbach midfielder Christoph Kramer said of Goretzka. “He’s incredibly athletic, a brutal box-to-box type.”
FILE--- In this file picture taken Feb.16, 2020 Munich's Leon Goretzka plays the ball during a German Bundesliga match between Cologne and Munich in Cologne. (Guido Kirchnerdpa via AP, file)
It was Goretzka’s second straight man-of-the-match performance, coming after he led Bayern to a 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen the weekend before.
The Bavarian powerhouse only needs to beat relegation-threatened Werder Bremen away on Tuesday to be crowned German champion once again.
Goretzka looks completely transformed since the league was suspended due to coronavirus on March 13. Previously slim and nimble, he clearly used the break to beef up his physique, transforming himself into a fitter, faster more muscular midfield dynamo.
Bayern's Leon Goretzka stops the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Augsburg in Munich, Germany, Sunday, March 8, 2020. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)
“Drive is essential in modern soccer anyway. That applies not only for me, but for every player on the field,” he said after his latest starring performance. “It was a huge challenge physically today. So in the end it came down to a will to win the thing.”
The 25-year-old Germany international has scored three goals and set up two more in Bayern’s six games since the Bundesliga resumed. He had scored just as many in 15 games before the league’s virus-imposed break.
“Especially in such situations when there’s a turnover in possession, he simply has the athleticism and fast runs so he can grab goals at the front,” Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said. “Jo Kimmich is more of a No. 6 who plays a little more defensively. We’ve often seen this season that Leon not only sets up goals but can score, too.”
Goretzka took some time to settle in Bayern’s star-studded midfield after joining on a free transfer from Schalke in 2018. He often was used as a substitute this season by previous Bayern coach Niko Kovac.
But current coach Hansi Flick started the midfielder for his first game in charge against Borussia Dortmund on Nov. 9 and Goretzka patiently and quietly worked on his game.
He went back to being a substitute before the league was suspended, but has started every game since play resumed on May 16 with his performances seemingly improving from game to game.
“It’s always nice when you get compliments,” Goretzka said. “I’m delighted to get such a late goal that allows us become champions on Tuesday.”
Goretzka’s good form is also good news for Germany and hasn’t gone unnoticed by national team manager Oliver Bierhoff.
“It’s good to see the likes of Leon Goretzka or (Leverkusen midfielder) Kai Havertz, who used the break to gather themselves and recharge their batteries to now produce great performances, goals and important games,” Bierhoff said.
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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Tre’Davious White arrived in Buffalo in 2017 driven to be the best and began entertaining visions of one day wearing a Hall of Fame gold jacket before two debilitating injuries stopped the cornerback's rising trajectory.
It took time, bouts with depression and spending a year away from Buffalo for White to find peace and discover what matters most in life upon rejoining the Bills this season.
"Football means a lot, but it’s not the end-all and be-all. Good game, bad game, my people still gonna love me,” White told The Associated Press as Buffalo (12-5) prepares to open the playoffs at Jacksonville (13-4) on Sunday.
“I feel I’ve got so much life to give other than what I can do on the football field. And that freed me up,” he added. “I just think this game has given me that perspective on life. And I wouldn’t have got it nowhere else if I wouldn’t have went through those dark times."
The limits of White's resolve were tested after he tore a left knee ligament in 2021 and then his right Achilles tendon in 2023. There were days during his recovery when members of the Bills training staff had to visit his home to coax the player out from his basement.
White’s new-found perspective has been reflected nearly every day this season in how he greets everyone with a beaming smile and happily skips each time he takes the field. This wasn’t always the case in 2022 and ’23, when White turned inward by declining interview requests to the point he faced potential NFL fines for not following the league’s media policy.
“I didn’t have much to cheer or be upbeat about,” White said, reflecting back. “But I’ve learned over time that I can’t let the game dictate my attitude toward life. ... Because at the end of the day, when I stop playing, nobody is gonna care how many tackles I had.”
On Thursday, White was giddy upon being voted the Pro Football Writer’s Association’s Buffalo chapter Kent Hull Stand-up Guy, an award given to a player best demonstrating respect, thoughtfulness and cooperation with reporters.
"Ain’t no way,” he said, with a laugh upon accepting the plaque. “My teammates have to be as mean as (stuff) if you all are giving me this award.”
White, who turns 31 next week, has made a bigger impact on the Bills with his play, willingness to share his wisdom and upbeat demeanor.
“He brings so much joy, so much positivity, so much energy. It means so much to have him back,” cornerback Christian Benford said. “I’m so proud and thankful God has uplifted his spirit, his mind to allow him to bounce back and fight through a lot of this.”
Sean McDermott grows emotional nearly each time he speaks of the player from Shreveport, Louisiana, who starred at LSU before becoming Buffalo's first draft pick upon the coach's arrival.
“I can’t say enough good things about Tre’ and what he means to me, personally, and what he’s meant to our football team,” McDermott said. “I just believe in my heart that there’s something deeper behind all of it with Tre’ because I know what this place means to him.”
If not for his injuries and contract, White wouldn’t have departed Buffalo in the first place after being cut in March 2024 for salary-cap reasons. Upon splitting last season between the Rams and Ravens, White was so eager to re-sign with Buffalo, he told his agent to not call unless he had a deal done with the Bills.
“When I go to sleep at night and when I envision myself making plays, it’s always in red, white and blue,” White said, referring to the Bills' colors.
“This is where I want to be. This is where I’m supposed to be. This is home,” he added. “When I take my last snap as a football player, I want it to be in red, white and blue and No. 27, rightfully so. Hopefully.”
However uncertain his future is beyond the playoffs, White gained closure in a season during which he reestablished himself with 16 starts and an interception. The production might pale from the days White was regarded as one of the NFL’s top shutdown cornerbacks and earned first- and second-team All-Pro honors in 2019 and ’20.
But what are numbers to White, who wondered why it takes someone having to reach their lowest point to find themselves.
“We shouldn’t let extreme circumstances turn us into a person that's going to help others or see life this way now because this happened to me,” White said. “No, let’s see life for what it is right now, and not wait until bad things happen.”
It’s a lesson he's imparting to his three sons.
“I’m so happy that I was able to go through what I went through, to get that callous and come out the man that I am now,” White said. “I feel like maybe as a player, it may not have been what I wanted. But as a person, I’m better going forward.”
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Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White (27) remains on the field to watch a tribute video after the Bills beat the New York Jets in the Bills' final regular-season NFL football home game in Highmark Stadium Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y.(AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
