Mario Gotze's tumultuous career can teach youngsters valuable lesson as Eintracht Frankfurt director weighs up new contract for World Cup winner and former Bayern Munich star

The German international Gotze’s future at Eintracht Frankfurt remains uncertain despite his desire to stay beyond 2026. The World Cup winner’s contract with the Bundesliga side runs until the summer of 2026 and includes an option for another year, but clarity on an extension is not expected before the winter. Gotze recently told Sport Bild he would happily commit to Frankfurt long-term if it were his choice, but sporting director Markus Krosche has admitted the club is not rushing into a decision. With Gotze now 33, on one of the club’s highest salaries, and playing fewer minutes due to injuries and emerging youngsters, the question of whether Frankfurt still needs their star midfielder remains open.

Gotze has made it clear that if it were up to him, he would sign on immediately. “I would definitely extend [my contract] beyond the current season if it were up to me,” he said.

Back in March, he even revealed he is already thinking about a possible move abroad: “We’re already considering a move abroad. I would find [the MLS] interesting. Sport and business are intertwined there. That would be the only thing where I would say I’d do something operational at a club again.”

Frankfurt’s sporting director Krosche struck a more measured tone, making it clear the club will wait until winter before deciding on Gotze’s future. However, he feels the ups and downs that Gotze has experienced in his careers mean he is a valuable figure to teach the aspiring young players in the squad,

“We don’t want to finalise anything in the next few weeks,” he explained. "He's a very important part of our team. He can explain to young players that careers aren't always on the up, and that it's also important to persevere through these times and show off. Mario has incredible quality and he's fit. We've discussed that we want to sit down together in the winter. Therefore, there's currently nothing concrete from our side or from Mario's."

Gotze’s career has always been a mix of brilliance and turbulence, from scoring the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final to struggling with form, fitness, and expectation at Bayern and Dortmund. However, at Frankfurt, he rediscovered stability, playing an important role in their European adventures. However, younger talents such as Can Uzun, Ansgar Knauff, and Hugo Larsson are now pushing for regular starting spots, threatening to edge him out. His situation also mirrors a wider Bundesliga trend that aging stars weighing up one last adventure abroad, with MLS increasingly becoming a landing spot. Gotze himself has already admitted he finds the MLS project attractive, especially in a David Beckham-style role that combines football with business.

The coming months will be crucial as Gotze and Krosche agreed to revisit the contract talks in the winter, by which point Frankfurt will have a clearer idea of his fitness, role in the squad, and the progress of their younger talents. For now, the veteran's future hangs in the balance, and he could yet extend and finish his career in Frankfurt, or pursue a final adventure in Major League Soccer.