More than just an exit: Bayern Munich's pillar is about to go

Leon Goretzka's time at Bayern Munich is drawing to a close - and with it, one of the most quietly influential chapters of the club's recent era.

Bayern confirmed that the midfielder will leave the Allianz Arena at the end of the season, bringing an end to a spell that has stretched across eight seasons, multiple rebuilds and countless decisive moments.

Linked with an exit in January, Goretzka instead chose to stay until the end, a decision that feels fitting for a player who has rarely taken shortcuts.

Signed from Schalke in 2018, Goretzka arrived as a talent with promise. He leaves as a serial winner and a pillar of Bayern's dominance. Six Bundesliga titles already sit on his resume - with a seventh all but secured - and he was an integral part of the Champions League-winning side of 2020, under Hansi Flick, when Bayern stood at the summit of Europe.

But numbers alone don't tell the full story.

Across different coaches, tactical shifts and midfield partnerships, Goretzka has remained a constant reference point: physically imposing, tactically adaptable and often at his best when the stakes were highest. Goals in big games, relentless pressing, late runs into the box - his fingerprints are all over the Bavarians' most important nights of the past decade.

Even this season, amid speculation about his future, his role has not diminished. At 30, Goretzka has missed just one Bundesliga match, starting 15 under Vincent Kompany and continuing to contribute regularly in the Champions League. Not always the headline act, but rarely absent when Bayern needed control, intensity or experience.

Internationally, his standing remains strong. With 67 caps for Germany, Goretzka is expected to be part of Julian Nagelsmann's squad for the upcoming World Cup, further underlining that his influence extends well beyond Munich.

Goretzka himself framed the decision with clarity and respect.

"Our successful time together will come to an end," he said, calling it the right moment to "open a new chapter once again, both as a footballer and as a person."

Problem in Munich: Greedy Upamecano

Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund echoed that sentiment, stressing not just the success, but the manner in which Goretzka has carried himself.

Eight years. Multiple titles. A Champions League crown.

Leon Goretzka may not leave Bayern with a farewell built on noise or nostalgia, but his legacy is firmly embedded in one of the club's most successful modern cycles.

BUNDESLIGA - MATCHDAY 20

Friday

22.30: (2.10) Koln (3.75) Wolfsburg (3.50)

Saturday

17.30: (2.00) Augsburg (3.35) St.Pauli (4.00)

17.30: (3.00) Eintr.Frankfurt (3.85) Leverkusen (2.30)

17.30: (1.80) Hoffenheim (3.75) Union Berlin (4.35)

17.30: (1.55) RB Leipzig (4.50) Mainz (5.60)

17.30: (2.45) Werder (3.60) M' gladbach (2.90)

20.30: (9.50) Hamburger (6.50) Bayern (1.30)

Sunday

17.30: (1.75) Stuttgart (4.10) Freiburg (4.75)

19.30: (1.25) Dortmund (6.75) Heidenheim (13.0)

***odds are subject to change***