Breaking: Leon Goretzka becomes Bayern Munich’s new #8 after Javi Martinez's farewell

With Javi Martinez set to leave Bayern Munich at the end of this season, the iconic number 8 shirt suddenly became up for grabs. However, before the fanbase could start speculating on the successor, it was announced that Leon Goretzka would take over the #8 from next season.

Here's the official announcement of the change, accompanied by a nice little video.

Goretzka takes over for a man who has faithfully worn the number for over 8 years now — which is some coincidence, if you think about it. Javi’s years were the most successful period in Bayern history, and it’s good to see his iconic shirt number go to a worthy successor.

This also means that, for the first time in many years, Bayern’s starting midfield duo will consist of a traditional 6 and 8 with Kimmich and Goretzka. With the #6, #7, #8, and the #10 all spoken for, the list of iconic numbers at Bayern is slowly being taken over by a new generation of players. Let’s hope they can live up to (and maybe even surpass) the ones who came before them.