But what about Joshua Kimmich, we hear you cry? As fine a player as he is, Kimmich is first-choice right-back under head coach Julian Nagelsmann, which has freed up space in the middle of the pitch.
Space that Goretzka has now claimed as his own. It certainly didn’t look like that would be the case at the start of this season, however. Despite Harry Kane being the only Bayern player with more Bundesliga minutes in 2023/24, Goretzka was left out of Germany’s squad for the 2024 European Championship on home turf.
The rise of club-mate Aleksandar Pavlović at the Allianz Arena was a factor in that, but even when the youngster, 10 years Goretzka’s junior, had to withdraw from the tournament due to tonsilitis, Emre Can was brought in as his replacement, joining Pascal Groß, Toni Kroos, İlkay Gündoğan and Robert Andrich as the team’s central midfield options.
Watch: Goretzka up close
