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‘Another’ Mario makes waves

Comment: 0 August 12th, 2011 by: admin

THERE’S a new Mario on the block and this one does not spell trouble like Mario Balotelli.

He is not even Mario Gomez either.

Prepare to meet Mario Gotze, Borussia Dortmund’s and the German national teams’ fast-rising star.

The 19-year-old wunderkind made the headlines recently when he helped Germany down Brazil 3-2 in a friendly in Stuttgart.

Gotze netted the team’s second goal as made a strong impact for the Germans who tallied only their fourth win in 21 matchups against the Brazilians and their first over the South African powerhouse in 18 years.

Germany coach Joachim Low lavished praise on his prodigious attacking midfielder whose extraordinary vision and adroit playmaking and scoring ability are widely-perceived to bring him to great heights in the future.

Gotze, among the main reasons why Dortmund ruled the Bundesliga last season, ably filled up the void left by Mesut Ozil, their chief playmaker. Ozil was rested versus Brazil along with Sami Khedira after both just returned from Europe following a tour with Real Madrid.

Low also expressed his excitement as he awaits the tandem to join forces soon. And this could materialise when Germany host Austria in a Euro 2012 qualifier in Gelsenkirchen on September 2.

Sharing the limelight with Gotze in Germany’s recent success were Bastian Schweinsteiger and Andre Schuerrle who also netted the other two goals.

Gotze, now with seven caps for the national side, leads the current crop of Germany’s talented up and coming players that include Schuerrle and Toni Kroos, both 20-year olds, and the 2010 World Cup Best Young Player and top scorer Thomas Mueller who is only turning 22 next month.

The other Young Turks in Low’s squad are Gotze’s Dortmund teammates Kevin Grosskreutz (22) and Ilkay Gundogon (20).

So youthful is the current German outfit that Mario Gomez at 26 and his Bayern Munich teammates Schweinsteiger and skipper Philip Lahm both at 27 already look like grizzled veterans.

The Germans placed second in the Euro 2008 and third in the World Cup last year in South Africa, and Low is convinced his current roster is capable of capturing a major crown.

With its proximity, the Euro 2012 to be held in Ukraine and Poland are their immediate target, and then the 2014 World Cup in Brasil.

And with the way Gotze is playing heads-up football, Low believes his young guns are ready to wreak havoc in the bigger stage.

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