‘Wrong decision’: Former Klopp favourite admits he ‘should have’ joined Liverpool when he had the chance

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Mario Gotze says he should have signed for Liverpool when he could have. The one-time Golden Boy of German football missed his chance.

It really doesn’t feel like too long ago that Mario Gotze was going to become the world’s best player. He’d shone at Borussia Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp, winning two league titles, became one of Bayern Munich’s biggest-ever signings and then scored the winner in a World Cup final.

And that was by 22.

Now in what should be his prime years, though, Gotze is playing for PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie. It’s far from the future predicted for him – in fact, no one really saw this coming. The German was about as nailed-on to be a superstar as it gets.

It just wasn’t to be, it seems, but what would Gotze have done differently? Looking back, he says one change he’d make is joining Liverpool.

Mario Gotze and Liverpool

Gotze apparently had the chance to sign for the Reds as Klopp wanted him at the club. He opted not to, however, and now thinks that was the ‘wrong decision’.

“We [Klopp and Gotze] are still in touch and we spoke back then about me coming to Liverpool,” he said, per the Daily Mail. “But I wasn’t in a state of mind where I could consider it, that’s why it didn’t happen.

“Do I regret it? It’s always difficult to look back but if you ask me now then yeah, I should have joined Liverpool for sure. I just made a wrong decision but it’s not a regret.”

It’s obviously difficult to say that this was a missed opportunity from Liverpool’s point of view. Gotze just hasn’t played at a high level while the Reds won everything after he turned the move down – they hardly missed his influence.

But we do wonder what Klopp could have done with Gotze in Red. He’s improved so many players to great heights and here’s one he knows full well how to get going. Perhaps working under Klopp at Liverpool was Gotze’s chance to fulfil his incredible potential.

It wasn’t to be, however, and the player clearly sees that as a mistake. What might have been…