Gretzka: I don t plan to leave Bayern this summer, but I can t completely rule out playing football abroad in the future

May 24th Bayern midfielder Gretzka accepted an exclusive interview with the media and talked about topics such as his experience in the past few years, the team's performance this season, and his return to Germany.

You have experienced a difficult period in the past two years, but you have not made any public statements for a long time. The club really appreciates your silence. How difficult is it for you to stay silent?

This is a conscious decision. I don't think it's any good for me to make a comment or be interviewed in my situation. I also feel that what I say is often misunderstood and therefore cannot be understood correctly. I decided to focus on football and ignore everything else. I want to give the answer on the court, although it sounds a bit cliché.

In several consecutive transfer windows, you are all reported to be sold. How did you accept and deal with this situation?

I don't know if this has been officially confirmed. But indeed, it was a difficult time. I handled these situations well and maintained my professional attitude. I don't want to comment too much on these rumors, and my mission is always to do the best for the club. Commenting on these things won't help the team succeed.

Some things are public, Rummenigge once said that Tuchel wanted you to leave in the summer of 2023, and Eber also confirmed that you were allowed to leave the team last summer. This is a new situation for your career and requires special psychological resilience?

After all, you have to see the facts clearly-Tuchel looked for me when she was sure I would not be in the European Cup. He praised me for my excellent performance in previous seasons. I played 44 official games and was the second scorer in the team after Kane in the second half of the season. Although I was not easy under Tuchel, he let me play 44 games. I also played a lot of games under Kompany. ”

You played 40 games under Kompany

That's right. That's the point of my focus - the number of appearances and the communication with the coach. When there's so much about you, you have to learn to cope. Healthy self-assessment, a good environment, and supportive teammates have helped me.

In March, you quoted Hoeness, who said that everyone at Bayern, whether it's a stadium administrator or a player, needs to ask yourself if you can contribute to the club

I asked myself this question as early as the summer of 2023, and the answer was yes. When I saw Hines expressing this point, I understood more clearly that this is a process that you need to digest on your own. I am a person who loves to think, and this question is very important to everyone in the club.

Have you ever asked Hines for advice?

I talked to Hines and he knows very well when to contact the player. I have had many important conversations with him, and Henes has always supported it. Me.

You have been at Bayern since 2018, what does this club mean to you?

It's a very special relationship. I feel very comfortable in the club and the city, I love Bayern, I love the people here, I love my teammates. We have a great team, the club deserves to win the championship, we get back on track and move towards great achievements, and I definitely think of myself as one of them.

It's hard to imagine you want to leave the club after hearing you say that.

I don't plan to leave the club. Why leave?

Club needs to earn income by selling players, your contract will expire in 2026. This is the last chance for the club to get a transfer fee by selling you. Can you understand this situation?

My plan is definitely to continue playing for Bayern next season, and I don't want to say more about this.

Are you looking forward to the club taking the initiative to find you and provide a new contract?

Contract is a reward to some extent . If someone offers me something, I will definitely think seriously.

Are you interested in going to a professional league abroad?

From the physical condition, I don't feel that I am close to the end of my career. In fact, I feel that I am in better physical condition than ever before, and I hope there are still a few years to come, so I won't completely rule out this possibility, but it's not an urgent topic.

You joined Bayern at the age of 23, Werz of Leverkusen, your German national team Friend, now 22 years old. Do you think he has the ability to cross to Bayern?

For me, the cross to be definitely bigger than the ones for Wilz now. I still remember that at the first press conference at Bayern, I said that I wanted to be a leading player, and many people laughed at that time. Mario Basler said on the show that I can't play 5 games here, and I don't think he would say such things to Wilz. But I don't know the specific situation of Wilz, nor do I want to give him any advice.

Fans are for you because of your attitude Cheers, and even set off a craze online. What do you think of the slogan of ‘Goooooretzkaaa’, which has become almost a fanatical worship among fans now?

I don’t really care, I think it may bother teammates or staff at times. To be honest, I still don’t understand how this slogan came about and what it means, but as long as it makes everyone happy, it’s OK.

Muler never won the German Footballer of the Year in his career. If he was in his career Is this award worthy of being awarded in the final stage?

He deserved it, but part of his story is that his extraordinary achievements often don't get the recognition they deserve. He told me last time that he had only been selected for the Kickers' Team of the Year twice in his entire career, but everyone knows what's most important to him.

Kimmich scored 3 points this season, do you agree?

I don't know if I should rate this season, we did a lot better than last season. We were a little unlucky in the Champions League and the German Cup and could have done better, but in the fairest event of the league, we performed well. Our way of playing football is more like Bayern.

Bayern locker room is very satisfied with Kompany. Have you ever seen a locker room like this satisfied with the coach before?

When you succeed, your relationship with your coach will always be better. I have a very good relationship with Kompani, and so are my teammates, and we all like him very much. Kompany has excellent social skills and he understands the language of the players. He has been very candid since day one, which is especially important for experienced players. Some coaches will say something you know immediately that is untrue, while Kompany is very honest. This quality is the most lasting, and everyone knows this.

Müller said that after the Guardiola era, no coach has played with the team like Kompany. What do you think about this?

Muller said this, probably Frick called him (laughs)... During my time at Bayern, the situation during Frick was similar, and the entire team supported the coach very much.

Do you often think of the fact that they were eliminated by Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals? How painful is it to miss the Champions League final held at home?

It is very difficult to enter the Champions League final. Even if the finals are held on your own stadium, it won't increase that possibility. Despite this, we had many opportunities this season, and some small details determined the results. In recent years, there have always been some unfavorable factors at critical moments, and we lacked key players. The situation could have been different, we played well against Inter and deserved a better result. It's very frustrating, but I believe we're on the right path.

Regarding return to the national team, this is very important. The national team is very special to me. I'm very happy with this. Given the situation at the beginning of the season, I put in a lot of effort to achieve this goal, and it feels great when such efforts pay off.

Is the biggest regret of your career that failed to participate in the 2024 European Cup in Germany?

So that's it. I always feel like I am a member of the national team and I personally can't understand why the situation has changed. Everyone can imagine how painful it is to fail to participate in the local European Cup. Participating in the competition in the motherland is an opportunity once in a lifetime, and there will be no second time.

Have you ever thought that you could never play for the German team during Nagelsmann's coaching period?

I was certainly surprised when he contacted me. I'm playing well now, but I'm not bad before. So I didn't expect to be called. I can imagine that it was not an easy decision for Nagelsman to call me again, but he did it in a spirit of success and I respect him for that, which made me very happy.