Claudio Pizarro wants to stay in Germany after Bayern Munich deal not renewed

Speculation swirled around Claudio Pizarro toward the end of the Bundesliga season with rumors that Bayern Munich would not sign him to another yearlong contract. Pizarro didn't address the situation publicly at the time, and the contract expired on June 30 without a renewal.

Now, in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung, he has now broken his silence.

"I have received some offers already, but I waited until the final day for Bayern, because I really wanted to stay there," Pizarro said.

Unfortunately for Pizarro, the opportunity to continue with Bayern looks to be extremely slim. They could still re-sign him, but it appears that the club will go in a different direction this summer. So what does the future hold for the Bundesliga's all-time leading foreign goalscorer?

The Future

"It would be ideal to stay in Germany. My three sons were born in Germany and grew up there. Now they are 15, 13 and nine years old," Pizarro said, sounding a lot like a 36 year professional athlete coming to the end of his career and realizing that he doesn't need to drag his family around the world any longer. "I would like to give them the utmost stability, because they had to move a few times already. They sacrificed a lot."

Going Home?

Why doesn't Pizarro want to end his career in his homeland of Peru? It's simple, really. He fears for his family's safety to return home. "That is not possible right now for safety reasons. If it was not for that, I would return to Peru for sure, but I don't want to bring my family into an uncomfortable situation. It is sad but that's how it is."

Copa America

For the second consecutive Copa America, Peru qualified for the semifinals. However, in both tournaments, they have found themselves unable to get over the hump and make the final. Experience has given Claudio a perspective that perhaps a younger player doesn't have.

"I think we played a very good Copa America," Pizarro said. "Despite the semifinal loss our team deserves some peace of mind because of everything we have achieved during this tournament."

They weren't even predicted to make it out of their group.

As to his future with Peru, it sounds as though Pizarro's time with the national team has come to an end. "I have to think step by step now," the forward said. "I will have to see how my body reacts and where I will be playing."

Whatever the future holds for Claudio Pizarro, we wish him well in his travels and thank him for his service to FC Bayern.