Leon Christoph Goretzka was born on 6 February 1995 and is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team.
44 Facts About Leon Goretzka
Leon Goretzka was a part of the Germany Olympic team that finished second at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
In 1999, Leon Goretzka started his career with Werner SV 06 Bochum.
Leon Goretzka stayed for two years with the WSV before making the move to VfL Bochum in 2001.
On 30 July 2012, Leon Goretzka was awarded the 2012 under-17 Fritz Walter Medal in gold.
Matthias Sammer, the then sporting director of Bayern Munich, reportedly met with Leon Goretzka to try to convince him of joining Bayern in the summer of 2013.
Leon Goretzka signed a five-year contract until 30 June 2018.
Leon Goretzka became a regular starter in the second half of the season and helped Schalke finish in third place in the Bundesliga behind champions Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Leon Goretzka made his debut in a friendly match against Poland prior to the World Cup.
Leon Goretzka returned from the injury on Matchday 24 against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Leon Goretzka played in only 10 Bundesliga matches during the season.
Leon Goretzka was back to full fitness at the start of the season, but had several injuries throughout the season.
Leon Goretzka continued and played almost the entire match until he was substituted in the 84th minute.
Leon Goretzka had problems with stress reaction in bones in his lower leg, which kept him out of action for over two months.
On 19 January 2018, Leon Goretzka announced that he would leave Schalke in the summer of 2018 and join rivals Bayern Munich.
Leon Goretzka's decision did not go down well with the Schalke fans and board.
On 1 July 2018, Leon Goretzka officially joined Bayern by signing a four-year contract until June 2022.
On 15 February 2019, Leon Goretzka scored an own goal in a Bundesliga game after 13 seconds; no Bayern player had yet touched the ball.
On 18 May 2019, Leon Goretzka won his first Bundesliga title as Bayern finished two points above Dortmund with 78 points.
Leon Goretzka did not appear in the match as he was out injured.
Leon Goretzka played vital part of Bayern's treble win under Hansi Flick.
Leon Goretzka played most of the games, including the whole Champions League campaign, making a midfield duo with Joshua Kimmich.
Ahead of the season, Leon Goretzka was assigned the number 8 shirt left vacant by Javi Martinez.
On 17 August 2021, Leon Goretzka conquered the 2021 DFL-Super Cup with Bayern, playing the full 90 minutes.
On 16 September, Bayern announced that Leon Goretzka had signed a new contract, keeping him at the club until 2026.
On 15 October 2010, Leon Goretzka made his Germany national U-16 football team debut in a friendly against Northern Ireland.
Leon Goretzka was contacted by the Poland national team but rejected the offer as he is not aware of any Polish background.
On 8 May 2014, Leon Goretzka was included in the 30-men preliminary squad of the Germany national team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup by Germany's manager, Joachim Low.
In May 2017, Leon Goretzka was named in Germany's squad for the Confederations Cup in Russia.
Leon Goretzka finished joint top scorer with Timo Werner and Lars Stindl in the competition with three goals.
On 4 June 2018, Leon Goretzka was included in Germany's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Alongside Schalke teammate Max Meyer, Leon Goretzka was named in the squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Leon Goretzka captained Germany in their first match against Mexico, but picked up a shoulder injury, and returned to Gelsenkirchen.
In 2013, Leon Goretzka was referred to as one of the brightest talents in German football.
Leon Goretzka has a potent eye for scoring goals and is known to possess good ball control ability and has the ability to pick out passes for his teammates.
Leon Goretzka produces powerful shots from outside the penalty area.
Leon Goretzka is well known for his excellent heading ability which sees him regularly score goals with his head.
Leon Goretzka's game has often been compared to two of Germany's footballing greats, Lothar Matthaus and Michael Ballack.
Leon Goretzka completed his Abitur and graduated from the Alice-Salomon-Berufskolleg in Bochum.
Leon Goretzka's father, Konrad, is an automotive engineer and electrical engineer for Opel.
Leon Goretzka launched an online initiative, "We Kick Corona", with his Bayern Munich teammate Joshua Kimmich, to help charitable, social or medical institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leon Goretzka has been an activist against hate crimes, visiting the Dachau Holocaust memorial, and meeting Holocaust survivor Margot Friedlander.
Leon Goretzka is a critic of the far-right political party Alternative for Germany, calling them a "disgrace for Germany" and saying "when a party is supported and led by Holocaust revisionists and Corona deniers, then they are unmasking themselves".
Beside football, Leon Goretzka has primarily invested in a marketing company in 2014, in August 2020 Leon Goretzka started his business in real estate, LivinCG inmobilien GMBH, which is managed by his girlfriend.