Leon Goretzka celebrated an emotional farewell at the Allianz Arena during Bayern Munich's 5–1 victory over 1. FC Köln, going out of his way to connect with the fans.
Aleksandar Pavlovic chased Tom Bischof halfway across the pitch before finally tracking him down. Sven Ulreich and Jonas Urbig then surprised their goalkeeper colleague Manuel Neuer mid-interview. Lennart Karl, clearly relishing Munich's title-celebration tradition, kept grabbing fresh wheat-beer glasses and immediately spraying them in all directions.
Leon Goretzka also took a swig, yet he put the wheat beer to good use. While his teammates continued to lather up, Goretzka strode towards the South Stand, handed a full glass to the Ultras in the front row, and the beer ended up where it belonged—in thirsty mouths, not hair. The beer finally reached its rightful destination—thirsty mouths, not hair. Goretzka then upgraded the celebration by handing the championship trophy to the supporters.
He then climbed onto the chant leader's podium and mingled with the crowd, clearly preferring to be swept up in the atmosphere rather than in the wheat beer—a point later echoed by Harry Kane, who jokingly called the shower "cold". "That showed me I was and am part of the family here," Goretzka said afterwards. "That's something I'm proud of." By sharing beer, the trophy and his down-to-earth demeanour, he thanked the supporters for eight loyal years.
The gesture capped an emotional afternoon for the 31-year-old midfielder, who took to the Allianz Arena pitch for the final time. Next Saturday, Goretzka could raise his 16th trophy with Bayern in the DFB Cup final against VfB Stuttgart before departing Munich on a free transfer, almost certainly to Italy.
Goretzka's farewell tour began on the team bus, where he and a few teammates lingered after arrival to squeeze in a final Mario Kart match.
The mood turned more sentimental during the warm-up, when the stadium played Herbert Grönemeyer's "Bochum," the unofficial anthem of his hometown and youth club, VfL Bochum, in his honour. That fanbase has a long-standing friendship with FC Bayern's Ultras. In the south stand, they sang "Tief im Westen" while many red-and-blue scarves were held aloft—one was later draped around Goretzka's neck.
Moments before kick-off, chairman Jan-Christian Dreesen, sporting director Max Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund presented him with a commemorative collage and a bouquet of flowers. Manager Vincent Kompany, as was fitting, selected him in the starting line-up; he repaid the favour with the assist for Harry Kane's 4-1 goal, Goretzka's 104th goal or assist in his 311th appearance for FC Bayern. Shortly afterwards, he was substituted to chants and a standing ovation.
After the final whistle, the FC Bayern Ultras unfurled a huge banner in front of the entire South Stand reading: "Bochum lad in red and white – Thank you for eight years, Leon". For the trophy presentation, captain Manuel Neuer graciously allowed Goretzka the privilege of being the first to lift the championship trophy.
Eberl hailed Goretzka as a "great figure at FC Bayern". Freund added: "He is a model professional, a truly exceptional character. A role model for footballers and for people in general – proving that you must keep going and believe in yourself when the going gets tough." During eight seasons at FC Bayern, Goretzka enjoyed plenty of success.
As an undisputed first-team regular and a midfield powerhouse, he was central to the 2020 sextuple-winning squad. Afterwards, however, he was often labelled an overpaid player earmarked for sale—a symbol of Munich's bloated wage structure. In summer 2024, Bayern tried to push him out; Kompany even left him out of matchday squads. Yet Goretzka stayed, worked on undeterred, and eventually reclaimed minutes after rivals got injured.
"He's weathered some difficult times. That's always been a defining trait for him," noted Jonathan Tah. "When you thought it was over, he just carried on and fought his way back time and again. I find that quite special." This summer, however, Goretzka had no choice. His contract expired, and Bayern did not offer an extension.
So what now? Goretzka is reportedly on the verge of signing for AC Milan. "I really haven't made up my mind yet," he said. During a Sky interview, Lothar Matthäus endorsed a switch to Italy but jokingly urged him to join his old club, Inter, on the blue side of Milan. Goretzka, flashing a grin, shot back: "Then I'll get into trouble with the Südkurve." Only Bochum blue is welcome there.
