Thomas Müller lauds importance of 2014 World Cup hero Mario Götze for Germany

Mario Götze has only made one appearance for Germany at the World Cup thus far, coming on as a late sub in their opening 2-1 upset loss to Japan. He was an unused sub in the 1-1 draw against Spain, but it’s certainly not for a lack of form. Götze’s remarkable Bundesliga return fully justified Hansi Flick’s choice to include him in his 26-man squad.

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And though it’s been a while since they have played together, Götze’s Germany teammates are ecstatic to welcome back the hero who scored the winner in the 2014 Final against Argentina. Among them — Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller.

“Mario is doing well. I’m happy he’s here, we’ve always had a good relationship and kept contact even after he left Bayern,” Müller said of Götze during a Die Mannschaft press conference looking ahead to the last group stage match agasint Costa Rica (via @iMiaSanMia). “He has shown his quality in Frankfurt this season. Mario is an important part of this group and is showing what he’s capable of in training.”

So far for Frankfurt this season, the former Bayern, Borussia Dortmund and PSV Eindhoven man has tallied a total of two goals and four assists from 23 appearances across all competitions. Those contributions aren’t the whole story, though. Götze is also effective even when he’s not directly involved in the scoring. And his Frankfurt team currently find themselves fourth place in the Bundesliga table and have advanced to the round of 16 in the Champions League.

Götze might not have been used a lot thus far by Flick, but we just have to look back to a certain Brazilian night in 2014 to know just what he’s capable of at a moment’s notice. Will there be time still for more moments of magic from Super Mario?