MARIO GOTZE was confronted by 60 hooligans just a year before his World Cup heroics for Germany.
With the 2014 final against Argentina level in extra-time, Gotze scored the winner to spark wild celebrations back home.
The biggest moment in his career came at a time when he was facing challenges off the pitch following his move from Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich.
Gotze left the club he signed for aged eight to work with Pep Guardiola in Bavaria after their bitter rivals triggered his £31million release clause.
And news of the transfer was leaked just days before his boyhood club were set to play Real Madrid in a Champions League semi-final.
The move left a sour taste in the mouths of Dortmund fans, who targeted him at Bayern.
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Gotze told Bild: “I will never forget, one day 50, 60 hooligans came to our training just to insult me.
“Bayern approached me the previous year and I decided not to go. But when Guardiola was announced as manager, I didn’t know what to do.
“You have to understand how a 20-year-old thinks. I felt like I needed a change and that playing under Pep would help me to evolve as a player.
“I made the decision to go but I didn’t understand the consequences.
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“We even had police staying outside my parents’ house for protection.
“I don’t know who leaked it. It certainly was not me – that was the last thing I wanted. But obviously, the timing was terrible.
“At the time, it was shocking. The whistles and the banners from our own fans – I could deal with that, personally.
“But my younger brother was 14 at the time and he was being confronted in school. People were saying things to my mother.
“There were threats made to my family on the internet. That was really difficult to live through, especially because this was our home.
“It was the most difficult time in our lives, but it’s hard to say that I regret it.”
Gotze made amends with Dortmund fans after re-signing for the club in 2016.
The 32-year-old now plays for Eintacht Frankfurt – but has not made the Germany squad for the Euros.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
