phase. Pundits widely criticised his performances for being nondescript. In the lead up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, he played in a friendly against France in November 2017 after a one-year absence from the national team, but ultimately did not make the squad for the final tournament. On 10 November 2022, Götze was named in Germany's 2022 FIFA World Cup squad by coach Hansi Flick. The selection was met with surprise, as it marked his return to the national side after five years. Style of play Götze is capable of playing as either a left or right winger, attacking midfielder and also as a "false 9". Götze was considered to be one of the best young players in the world, possessing speed, technique, dribbling skills and playmaking capabilities. In his first stint at Dortmund, under manager Jürgen Klopp, Götze often played different roles in the team's 4–2–3–1 formation. Following the departure of fellow playmaker Shinji Kagawa in 2012, during the 2012–13 season, Klopp assigned Götze as central attacking midfielder. For Germany, Götze's talent has been used by German coach Joachim Löw in the "false 9" role. In more recent seasons with Dortmund, coach Lucien Favre has also used Götze in this role. In 2010, the German Football Association's then-Technical Director Matthias Sammer described Götze as "one of the best talents Germany has ever had." One year later, German football legend Franz Beckenbauer described Götze as "German Messi" for his speed and style of play. However, Götze's pace deteriorated before the peak age of an average professional footballer, and this was seen as one of the reasons for his second departure from Borussia Dortmund. Outside football Personal life Götze was born in Memmingen, Bavaria to parents Jürgen and Astrid Götze. His father is a professor at the Dortmund University of Technology. His older brother Fabian is currently a free agent, having left Dortmund's youth system in 2010. Their younger brother, Felix, currently plays for Augsburg. Götze has been in a relationship with German lingerie model Ann-Kathrin Brömmel since July 2012. The couple were engaged in 2017 and married in May 2018. They had a son in 2020. Götze is Catholic. Health problems In early March 2017, it was reported that Götze had been suffering from a metabolic disorder. The health condition was later found out to be myopathy, a muscular disorder which affects the fibres in the muscles, meaning they