Jerome Boateng would have stayed with Bayern Munich, but does not mind the new challenge

In an interview with Sport1, former Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng detailed his recent move to Olympique Lyon and also indicated that he would not have been opposed to a longer stay in Bavaria.

“No, I’m looking forward to Olympique Lyon, to a new challenge. My time at FC Bayern was a very long and beautiful chapter for a footballer these days. But I have often emphasized that I want another change. What I said is that I could have imagined extending it again when they got together,” said Boateng. “That wasn’t the case so it was done quickly for me. The last two years with Hansi Flick were once again outstanding and we managed to win the Champions League again. I am happy that I got this chance and that we were so successful. Only football writes such a story.”

Whether or not Boateng gets an opportunity to reunite with Flick on the German national team remains to be seen. Either way, Boateng knows Flick makes his judgements based on performance.

“Not just me, players like Thomas Müller also learned at Bayern that Hansi is always about performance. I don’t want to say now that I have to go back to the national team. At the end of the day, it’s all about performance that everyone has to achieve in order to deserve to play for the national team. And there are other defenders who have their claims in my position and who have to and have performed,” Boateng said. “For me it is now important to get fit. Then I want to play a good season and like it is in football: If things go well, you might get your chance again. But that is a decision of the national coach. I have to present myself well at Lyon. Then we’ll see what happens.”