Ronaldo imitated
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Transfer negotiations can be tough, lengthy and full of stumbling blocks. Professionals sometimes want to force their move to their dream club and in order to do so they risk a lot of trouble with their current employer, lose credit with the fans or cause astonishment among their superiors. Transfermarkt looks at transfers in the past that were characterized by loud background noise. This time the focus is on Mario Götze’s presentation at FC Bayern in July 2013 – and a shirt that caused great upset.
When Mario Götze’s move from Borussia Dortmund to FC Bayern was leaked in April 2013, not only the fans of the black and yellow team were shocked, but also sporting director Michael Zorc. Götze advisor Volker Struth (Sports360 GmbH) revealed the exchange with the BVB management team in his book “My Moves”: “Michael, I have to tell you something. Mario has decided to move to Munich in the summer. We will pull the release clause.” After five minutes of paralysis and blowing, Zorc called back. “He threw all the insults that the German language has thrown at me, one after the other, for minutes.”
The big trouble was over on July 2nd when high-flyer Götze, who still had to recover from the effects of a torn muscle in his thigh, spoke his first words into the microphones as a new addition to Säbener Strasse. The 37 million man, who would score the goal to win the World Cup in Rio a year later, caused quite a stir, this time on the side of Munich. It wasn’t his words that caused a stir during his presentation at Bayern, but rather the use of the wrong gap.
The highly anticipated Bayern purchase wore an eye-catching white top from Nike, with a large logo that no one could miss. The attacker happily held up his Bayern jersey with the number 19 to the cameras, next to him was the satisfied sports director Matthias Sammer. It’s just stupid that FCB has traditionally been associated with Adidas for decades. Almost no piece of paper fits between the two partners. According to reports, 60 million to 70 million euros will flow per season until the end of the contract in 2030. Together with Allianz and Audi, the sporting goods manufacturer holds 8.33 percent of the shares in FC Bayern AG. No wonder that the company from Herzogenaurach near Nuremberg didn’t like Götze’s mishap at all and is even said to have viewed it as a provocation. “We were negatively surprised by the pictures from the press conference with Mario Götze. This is of course not permitted contractually, as it is an official appointment for the Adidas partner FC Bayern. We have already discussed this with FC Bayern Munich,” explained Adidas spokesman Oliver Brüggen.
FC Bayern apologized to Adidas – Götze’s private deal with Nike
After the “unfortunate story” with Götze’s presentation in illegal clothing, Bayern’s media director Markus Hörwick apologized to Adidas and assured the loyal partner that such an action would “not happen again.” In the general hustle and bustle, the newcomer’s shirt “came through, that annoys us and we regret it very much.” Hörwick told the “Abendzeitung”: “Mario Götze is entitled through his contract with Nike to wear their football boots in the game, but of course he has to meet the requirements of our supplier at official appointments such as the presentation.”
July 2013: Bayern stadium announcer Stephan Lehmann (in white) introduces the Munich fans to the new signings Mario Götze (front left) and Jan Kirchhoff (front right).
Not only did FC Bayern get away with Götze’s top, Jan Kirchhoff, who was signed from Mainz, also appeared in Nike, albeit much more discreetly than his new prominent teammate. So a double mishap. The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” wrote about the “guerrilla coup with the smuggled shirt”. “The first winner of Götze’s time at Bayern is Nike,” commented “Focus Online”. Herbert Hainer was the boss at Adidas at the time. The 71-year-old has been FCB’s president and supervisory board boss since the end of 2019 and has been on the German record champions’ control committee since 2003.
Götze had signed a private equipment deal with Nike until 2022, which reportedly earned him 1.5 million euros a year. Such contracts have not been unusual since the early 2000s: players are usually allowed to wear the football boots of their preferred brand – provided such partnerships are agreed with the club. On official occasions, Götze and his teammates were required to wear Adidas equipment. After the apology offensive and crisis communication, Götze’s advisor Struth also saw the relationship as “very relaxed” again. The player’s agent and his agency asked Adidas for forgiveness via email, also picked up the phone and also expressed his regret to Bayern boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Götze explained to the “SZ” in 2015: “Before the press conference, I thought more about my statements than about my outfit.” Portugal’s superstar was his role model. “I had previously seen that Cristiano Ronaldo was wearing a Nike shirt in the press conference at the Adidas club Real Madrid. And that’s why I didn’t think about it when my supplier handed me the shirt.” In the interview, Götze admitted his “own mistakes”, but also pointed out that in two years in Munich he had to endure a lot of things “that were twisted”. As is well known, it was not going to be a lasting success story between Bayern and Götze. The same thing also applied to the bond with defensive man Kirchhoff, who was quoted as saying that he had worn the Nike shirt “without thought” and “at the behest of my sponsor,” while on the other hand there was talk of the “first shirt that came along” that he reached for.
The two young professionals couldn’t avoid a penalty. Just like attacker Mario Gómez, who wore a Nike cap when he arrived at the summer training camp on Lake Garda, Götze and Kirchhoff were each given a five-figure fine when they made their debut on Säbener Straße, according to “Bild”, which was intended to help the victims of the flood disaster at the time. Hörwick confirmed the sanction without commenting on the exact amount.
Bayern captain Lahm defended Götze and Kirchhoff
A few days after the introductory PK, Bayern captain Philipp Lahm indirectly criticized Nike’s approach via “Sport Bild” and defended Götze and Kirchhoff. “I don’t want to assume that Mario or Jan had any malicious intent, but I think that the two players were instructed by their sponsor to wear the T-shirts. They complied with this request without giving much thought to the fact that they and the event were being used for other people’s purposes.” Lahm, who himself works with Adidas, also said: “This type of marketing contradicts the contract with our long-standing partner Adidas and is also not in FC Bayern’s spirit. It is normal that it always takes some time for a new player to become familiar with all the processes and context of a club. I am convinced that both players will critically question the intentions of their supporters in the future after this experience.”
November 2012: Mario Götze, then at BVB, in conversation with his advisor Volker Struth
Was there even foul play with Götze? It was rumored that a Nike employee had given him another shirt shortly before his presentation. Hörwick said that Götze was “taken by surprise” by his private supplier: “They are taking a very aggressive approach.” According to the media director’s version, the ex-Dortmunder assumed “that this was coordinated with us. That’s how it happened.”
The moral of the story: As a player, it’s better not to wear the wrong supplier’s shirt during your presentation. “This will never happen to us again. I will now check before every PK and have a spare shirt with me,” assured Bayern’s media director, according to “t-online”.
Note: This article first appeared on Transfermarkt in July 2025 and has now been published again.