Confederations Cup 2017: Leon Goretzka stole the show for Germany against Mexico

Three years ago, a thigh injury cost Leon Goretzka a spot on the Germany squad that won the 2014 World Cup. Last year, another thigh injury a half-hour into the 2016 Olympics tournament robbed him of a chance to lead the team that eventually won a silver medal.

This year, Goretzka won an unexpected spot on a surprisingly young German squad for the Confederations Cup and again given a leadership role, with everyone hoping that the 22-year-old midfielder would finally stay healthy and show everyone what he can do — and against Mexico in the semifinal, he did exactly that.

Goretzka scored twice in the opening 10 minutes to stun El Tri and give the Germans a vital lead to protect and shape the game. The second goal, scored just three minutes after his sixth-minute opener, had a flashier, cross-body finish at close range, but it was his first goal that really showed off what Goretzka is all about.

Goretzka actually started the move off himself, helping spring a counterattack with a long ball out to wing-back Ben Henrichs up the right flank. Goretzka immediately got on his horse to follow up the play, and started reading Mexico’s defense as they reacted to Henrichs’ run on the ball.

Watch Goretzka’s run closely — he positions himself to get in ahead of Jonathan dos Santos, then watches Hector Moreno’s run back and adjusts his own running path to slide in behind the space that Moreno is leaving. When Henrichs pulled the ball back, Goretzka was perfectly positioned to run onto the ball at the top of the box and rifle it home.

But Goretzka’s contributions to the game went far beyond his two goals. He spent 67 minutes on the pitch, coming off to be rested for the final when the game was at 3-0 and the result well in hand. But he was arguably the best German player on the pitch on Thursday night.

Julian Draxler and Timo Werner played also played well, as did Matthias Ginter on defense. But Goretzka was the metronomic presence on the German squad, coming back to shield the defense with aplomb before surging ahead to help drive an attack that kept Mexico on their heels for most of the match.

Be it putting Hector Herrera firmly in his pocket defensively or utterly dominating dos Santos every time he got forward, Goretzka was a massive influence in this match, and Germany likely would not have had nearly so easy a time controlling the game without him. This is the kind of performance German fans have been waiting for from him on the international scene for a long time, and now that he’s done it, it’s oh so sweet to see.

Watching Goretzka play like this, it’s little wonder that he’s been heavily linked to Bayern Munich in transfer rumors this summer. He’s been with Schalke 04 since 2013, and they’re doing their utmost best to hang onto the talented youngster. But eventually Bayern are going to get their man — if not this summer, then in the winter or a year from now.

And considering that Bayern’s midfield is one that is very much in transition, if he makes the jump this summer, you shouldn’t be surprised to see him playing a major role for the elite side a whole lot sooner rather than later, because that’s how good he can be.

Welcome to the big stage, Leon Goretzka. It’s nice to finally see you there.