“Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka on Harsh Media Criticism: Apologizes and Urges for Less Exaggeration”

After his team downed Hertha Berlin 2-0, Bayern Munich star Leon Goretzka wanted to take some time to give his thoughts on what he perceived to be harsh treatment from the media.

It was assumed that Goretzka was talking about the recent criticism that has been levied on him personally — and many of his teammates, who have been caught in the crosshairs of some media outlets and fans.

Goretzka went as far as to say that the players were “getting destroyed” by the media. Today, however, Goretzka walked that back in a statement to Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia):

Leon Goretzka apologizes for his statement yesterday ‘players are being destroyed by the media’: “My statement yesterday after the game was undifferentiated and not correct. I spoke out of emotion and anger after the game. We all should be self-critical and accept criticism. It would be nice if we didn’t exaggerate with everything — both positively and negatively.”

Goretzka also hit Instagram to detail how he was feeling:

Despite the justified criticism due to the exit in the Cup and the Champions League against great teams, the recent Black-and-white mentality (referring to seeing things strictly positively or strictly negatively) is irritating me. After advancing against Paris we were suddenly the best squad of all time, now we are solely a shell of our former selves despite the top spot in the table. This (the quick judgment) is not only way too fast for me. The truth does not only lay on the pitch, but also sometimes in the middle.

And oftentimes, little things cause that one will be out of one’s flow. Let us discuss topics critically. Let us argue. But let us also maybe exaggerate less. In the positive and negative sense.

That also applies to us as players. Emotions and anger after a game get ahold of me as well. My statement after yesterday after the game was indifferent in its manner and not so correct.

We as players do all we can to become German champions with FC Bayern and our fans for the eleventh time in a row. As a player, I will always be of service to the team and the coach for success. Thank you for your great support.

For Goretzka, it was another reason for his detractors to jump on him and whether he came to that realization or someone spoke to him, it was probably best to re-address the situation and soften the blow when he was less emotional about the situation.