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Where Did It All Go Wrong for Mario Gotze at Bayern Munich?
- Updated: November 18, 2016
When Bayern Munich make the 600-kilometre journey to North Rhine-Westphalia for Der Klassiker with Borussia Dortmund on Saturday afternoon, they will find a familiar face there to greet them in the shape of Mario Gotze.
The path between the Allianz Arena and Signal Iduna Park—and back—is well-trodden. Mats Hummels made the opposite journey to his former team-mate this summer. Add in Robert Lewandowski and Sebastian Rode and there are potentially four players who could line up against their former sides come kick-off.
Dortmund were the most recent club to deny the Bavarian giants the Bundesliga title, doing so in the 2011-12 season with a team that boasted Hummels, Gotze—in his first BVB spell—and Lewandowski.
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However, Bayern’s traditional rivals were the other Borussia, Monchengladbach—who won five titles to Bayern’s four in the 1970s. Der Klassiker between Bayern and Dortmund is the most exciting fixture in Germany today, but the moniker should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Argentina’s Superclasico is contested between River Plate and Boca Juniors. River have won the league title a record 36 times, while Boca boast the second-best haul with 31. El Clasico in Spain also features the country’s two most successful clubs, with Real Madrid having been crowned champions 32 times to Barcelona’s 24.
BVB are third on the all-time list of German football champions with eight, one fewer than FC Nurnberg and some 18 behind Bayern. Accordingly, players who move from Dortmund to Bavaria have tended to be at the peak of their powers, with those moving in the opposite direction often seeking a fresh start.
Of the players mentioned above, Hummels was Dortmund captain and widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the game when he made the reported €35 million move in July. Rode, following Gotze in the other direction, had featured for less than 400 minutes as Bayern wrapped up the title under Pep Guardiola last term.
There’s no place like home
