Mario Götze sees his path confirmed by the nomination by national coach Hansi Flick for the World Cup in Qatar and has thanked his companions for their support. "I think the nomination is the reward for the hard work I've put in, but it wouldn't have been possible without my wife, my family, my amazing teammates and coaches," wrote the 30-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder on Thursday at Twitter. His wife Ann-Kathrin and he became parents of a boy in 2020.

Götze, who gave the German team a 1-0 goal in added time against Argentina in the final of the 2014 World Cup to win the fourth World Cup, had to endure a long dry spell. After his contract with Borussia Dortmund was not extended in 2020, he moved to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands on a free transfer after three months without a club. Under the German coach Roger Schmidt, whom he had always described as a key factor in this change, Götze found his way back to his old form and thus became interesting again for Bundesliga clubs.

After Schmidt left Eindhoven for Benfica Lisbon, the world champion switched to Europa League winners Frankfurt at the beginning of this season and impressed there in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League. Götze played his last of 63 international matches almost five years ago against France.

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