If your nickname is the “German Messi,” you’d better be good. And even though the 20-year-old midfielder Mario Gotze may not start for the Germans in Poland and Ukraine, he’ll almost definitely be called upon from the bench as the Mannschaft look to avenge their defeat in the final of Euro 2008. For someone so young, Gotze has already got some decent silverware (two Bundesliga titles and the German Cup with Borussia Dortmund). He managed to notch a remarkable six goals and set up five more in only 17 league appearances in an injury-ravaged season. None other than Der Kaiser Franz Beckenbauer, a German legend, has said that Gotze is “impossible to stop.”
Eight Players to Watch at Euro 2012
The European Championships have always been known for making new stars.