:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59531721/GettyImages-951244460.0.0.jpg)
Directly after Bayern Munich’s unfortunate loss against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, a candid interview by Jerome Boateng has appeared in Socrates Magazin suggesting that the now injured center-back is actively deliberating whether to move on from Munich, potentially in the near future.
Boateng told Socrates Magazin,
I’ve experienced everything at Bayern Munich. And so I’m slowly reaching the point where I have to answer certain questions for myself: what goals of mine have I not yet reached? Would I like to always prove myself at the same club under the same conditions?
Das Leben ist voller Rückschläge. Lebe, fühle, liebe, lache, weine, spiele, gewinne, verliere, stolpere, falle, aber stehe immer wieder auf Jetzt heißt es kämpfen, um in Russland dabei zu sein. Dafür werde ich alles geben. pic.twitter.com/f6dh0JW3PS
— Jerome Boateng (@JB17Official) April 26, 2018
Boateng’s contemplation leaves the Bavarians with many unanswered questions. The German international’s contract runs until 2021, but an early departure is not as inconceivable as it once was. Boateng is now 29 years old and seems to be growing more fragile with each passing season. Budding talent Niklas Süle seems increasingly poised to fill Boateng’s shoes, as he literally did after Boateng left Bayern’s match against Real Madrid.
But Boateng is no ordinary player: Bayern would lose in him one of their most reliable and experienced players. He has been playing for the German champions since 2011 and was a big part of the club during its treble-winning campaign. With his season over and his status on Germany’s team for the 2018 World Cup potentially in jeopardy, Boateng will have much on his mind.