Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka (29) was known as the best 'body' star in soccer.
If you look at the occasional photo of the top off, it was evaluated as having muscles close to perfection in the chest, arms and abs. Han Ji-flick, the current Barcelona coach, succeeded in transforming when he was in charge of Munich. The combative style of play was naturally nicknamed 'Hulk'.
However, the image released during this preseason is far from 'Hulk'. "'Troll Football', which mainly introduces light gossip or comical 'GIF' on the soccer field, introduced Goretzka's change that appeared in a pre-season friendly match on the 30th (Korea time).
Goretzka's enlarged appearance by 'Troll Football' appeared to have been authentic to the passage of time. The hair shrank unrecognisably, and the muscles seemed to have been lost. The soccer media 'Goal Dotcom' reported that Koretska appeared to be struggling with his hands on his waist. What is surprising is that Koretska, born in 1995, is one year older than his teammate Kim Min-jae (born in 1996).
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Fans who heard about Koretska's recent status said "Did Flick return to his original form when he left?", "Is it the Goretz we knew?", "Isn't it a composite picture?", "Go play with Dyer" and so on." Some fans called out Arjen Robben (retired) who played for Munich in the past.
Goretzka, who has been Germany's top midfielder for nearly a decade, is likely to leave Munich this summer. Atletico Madrid and Napoli put Goretzka on the list of recruits. Munich signed Portuguese midfielder João Paligna from Fulham this summer, famous for being the `EPL tackle king.'
Goretzka moved to Munich from Schalke 04 in 2018 and scored 40 goals in 221 games, including the cup, in six seasons. He is a key member of the Munich Travel in the 2019-2020 season. In the 2023-2024 season, he played 42 games (six goals), including 30 league games.
yoonjinman@sportschosun.com
