【Perez公器私用練英文072】馬利歐格策：給孩子們的信

【Perez公器私用練英文072】馬利歐格策：給孩子們的信
A Letter to My Children

Lukas Korschan攝影

原文網址：https://www.theplayerstribune.com/mario-gotze-soccer-germany-bundesliga-eintracht-frankfurt

時間：2024/11/20 

作者：退役德國隊球員、法蘭克福球員Mario Gotze

Dear Gioia, dear Rome,

喬伊雅、羅曼兩個寶貝，

Daddy has a story to tell you.

爹地有個故事要跟你們說。

As I write this, you are one and four years old, but your lives will change very fast. You will explore the world with curious eyes. You will laugh and try new things. You’ll make new friends. You’ll probably get TikTok and Instagram. And since I have been a footballer for most of my life, you will hear and read things about me. Truths. Half-truths. Rumors. Even utter nonsense.

我寫這封信的當下，你們分別才一跟四歲，但人生如白雲蒼狗。你們好奇的雙眸將會去探索這個世界。你們會歡笑、會嘗試新事物。你們會結交新的朋友。可能會有自己的抖音或Instagram帳戶。而自我此生大部分的時光都是足球員以來，你們會聽聞、或是讀到關於我的事情。其中可能有事實、真假參半、謠言。

或甚至是徹底狗屁不通。

You will hear my story from someone.

你們將會從別人的口中，聽到我的故事。

So, before you do, I want you to hear the real version — from me.

所以，在這之前，我希望你們聽到——從我這邊聽到——真實的故事。

But first, let me tell you how you got here, because every day, I am thankful that you made it safely into this world.

但首先，讓我告訴你是如何來到這裡，因為每一天，我都為了你們安然來到這個世界而心懷感激。

Rome, as the firstborn, let’s do your story first.

羅曼，你作為第一個孩子，讓我先從你的故事開始說起吧。

I’ll never forget when your mother was seven months pregnant, and our midwife came to our home in Dortmund. She was doing an ultrasound, a routine checkup to make sure that everything was OK, but all of a sudden she said, “It seems like your baby isn’t OK.”

我永遠不會忘記當你們的母親懷有七個月的身孕時，我們的助產士來到我們在多特蒙德的家。她正在幫我們做例行的高層次超音波，確保一切沒問題的時候，但突如其來的，她跟我們說：「你的孩子好像看起來不太OK。」

We said, “What do you mean isn’t OK??”

我們回答說：「你指的不OK是什麼意思？？」

“His heartbeat is too slow. We have to call the ambulance. You need to get to the hospital right now.”

「他的心跳太慢了。我們需要叫救護車了。你們需要立馬跑去醫院。」

I nearly felt like my heart stopped beating. We had prepared for your birth to be in Düsseldorf, where we knew the doctor, and where we felt safe — but that was an hour away by car, and the ambulance headed for the nearest hospital, in Witten. I was driving right behind you, but I felt so far away from you. For 20 minutes we were going very fast with the siren on, speeding through red lights and swerving between honking cars.

我幾乎能感覺到我的心跳凍結了。我們已經準備在杜塞道夫迎接你的出生，那個我們認識醫生並有安全感的地方——但前往那裡有一個小時車程，而且救護車正疾馳往最近的，在威登市的醫院。我開著車，緊緊跟著載著你的救護車，卻覺得離你是無比遙遠。那是場20分鐘的飆車，伴隨著救護車鳴笛、超速穿越紅燈，與在按喇叭的車輛之間急轉彎。

There’s nightmares, living nightmares, and then there’s this.…

那是場夢魘，活生生的夢魘，並且它正在我面前......

As a parent, it’s impossible to describe the fear of losing a child. I was panicking, sweating. Anxious to the pit of my stomach. Every second felt like a minute, every minute felt like an hour. I don’t even know how I kept the car on the road, because all I could think was, Please please please please please let him be OK.

作為家長，幾乎是不可能去形容喪子的恐懼。我當時何其恐慌、渾身冒汗、驚恐在我的胃裡翻江倒海。我度秒如分、度分如時。我甚至不知道我怎麼把車子就停在馬路上，因為我腦中全部都佔滿了——請讓他撐過去，求求求求求求求求求求祢。

GOD, PLEASE!

上帝，求求你！

Lukas Korschan攝影

At the hospital, a dozen or so people were waiting for us. Everything happened so fast. They surrounded your mother, and then I think someone said, “His heart is still beating!” I was so relieved that I nearly fell to the floor. But then the doctor said, “We need to get the baby out!”

一切來得猝不及防。醫院裡，超過一打的人在為我們待命。他們守護著你的母親，而我想大概是哪個人說出：「他的心臟還在跳！」我心中感到何其解脫，幾乎讓我要趴倒在地。

但隨即醫生指示：「我們要提早讓孩子出生！」


There was a chance you had an infection.

你有可能被感染了。


They did a medical procedure called a C-section, and for the next few minutes all I could do was sit there. Waiting, hoping, praying.

他們做了一個叫做剖腹產的手術(Perez個人心聲：乾，我Respect Ann-Kathrin Brömmel)，而接下來的幾分鐘，除了枯坐在那裡，等待、期盼、盼禱，我對一切無能為力。


Finally, Rome, you made it into this world, six weeks early.

最後，羅曼，你提早六週來到這個世界了。


I guess you were just excited to see us.

我猜想，你對於看到我們，充滿了興奮。

And the second I saw you, I understood. I got it.

而當我見到你的第一秒鐘，我了解了。我懂了。


My life has changed.

Nothing will ever be the same.
我的人生從此改變。萬物都不一樣了。


But we had a little problem. You see, the doctors put you in the intensive care unit so that they could monitor you and be sure that you were recovering well, and we stayed there with you. I was supposed to go back into training with Dortmund, my club at the time, but this was in June 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, and there were safety rules for where we could go. The hospital staff told me that I could go back to the training ground, or spend time at the hospital, but not both.

但我們還有個小問題。你也看到了，醫療團隊把你放入了重症監護室，這樣他們才能時時監控情況，確保你有好好康復，並且我們待在那裡陪著你。我應該要回去跟當時的球隊多特蒙德一起訓練，但當時是正值疫情時期的2020年6月，還有著我們能去哪裡的安全規定。醫院的職員告訴我，我可以回去訓練場，或是在醫院度過也行，但不能兩地輪著跑。


I had to choose: Football or family.

我需要做出選擇：足球為先，或是家庭為重。

Hah.

哈哈。

I said, “Look, this is not even a decision.”

我說：「這甚至不用被『決定』。」


I called up the club and explained that I could not come into training until you were 100% OK. And in the end, I never went back.

我打給球隊，說明在你100%康復前，我無法前往訓練課。而最後，我也再也沒有回去了。


Your mother and I spent three weeks at the hospital, literally just sleeping, eating and staying next to you. You were born on 5 June 2020. My contract expired at the end of that month. By the time we came home, I was a free agent, and the season was over. I don’t think Dortmund were super happy about it, but I think they understood. They needed to. There was no alternative.

媽媽跟我在醫院待了三個禮拜，真的除了睡覺、吃飯、陪在你身邊什麼也沒做。你是在2020年6月5日出生的。我的合約在那個月底到期。我們回家時，我已經是個自由球員，並且賽季已經結束了。我想多特蒙德不會對這件事情特別開心，但我想他們能夠理解，他們必須理解，那沒有反轉的餘地。


I’m a father first. A footballer second.

I will never apologise for that.

我先為人父，次為球員。

我也絕不為此感到抱歉。

Lukas Korschan攝影

Today, you cannot tell that you were born so early. You have so much energy that Daddy has started drinking coffee just to keep up.

今天，這麼早產的陰影已經在你身上遠去。你是如此的精力充沛，爹地我甚至要開始喝咖啡保持精神因應你的精力。


And Gioia, my beautiful daughter. What about you?

我美麗的女兒喬伊雅，那你呢？

Your name is Italian for joy. You smile a lot, and you make us smile, too. Like a true Götze, you arrived early on the stage.

你的名字取自義大利文的「歡喜」。你洋溢的微笑也讓我們笑顏逐開。也如格策家的人，你也比預想的更早來到世界的大舞台。


In the womb, you also had a very slow pulse. Thankfully, they found out at the hospital, so your arrival was a little less dramatic. No ambulance ride for you. You came “just” four weeks too early, but it was still stressful, and your mother was very strong to get through it all. The next time you both see her, give her a big hug.

你在媽咪的子宮中，也一度有著很慢的脈搏。感激的是，這件事情在醫院被發現，所以你的來到這個世界就沒這麼戲劇性了。沒有救護車為你開到。你「只」早產了四週，但還是有壓力在，只是你媽媽夠堅強，堅強到可以撐過去。下一次你們兩個看到她的時候，給她一個大大的擁抱吧。


We love you above everything else in this world.

我們比世間的萬物都更愛你們。


No matter what you ever read about your parents over the years, good or bad, this is the most important thing. It’s the only thing.

無論你們未來讀到關於你們的爸媽過往年間的好事與壞事，這是最最重要的事情，也是唯一重要的事情。


We. Love. You.

我們。愛。你們。

—————————————————————————————

“Hey, are you Mario Götze?”

「嘿，你是馬利歐格策嗎？」


When we go for a walk together, people will sometimes approach us, and you will hear this question. They may ask for a photo, and you’ll wonder why.

當我們一起出去走走，有些人有時候會接近我們，而後你會聽到這個問題。他們可能會想要求合照，並且你會疑惑為什麼。


So, there are two versions of Mario Götze. There is Mario the person, who is the one you know. It’s Daddy.

於是，出現了兩種不同形象的「馬利歐格策」。一個是你知道的「馬利歐」這個人，就是你知道的爹地。


And there is Mario the footballer. When people ask for a photo, they want a photo with this Mario. It’s the only one they know, because they have seen me in the stadium or running around on TV.

另一個則是作為足球員的馬利歐。當人們來索照合照，他們想跟這個馬利歐拍照。那是他們唯一知道的馬利歐，因為他們在球場裡，或電視上跑動的鏡頭認識我。


To them, Mario the person does not exist as he exists for you.

This is very important for you to understand.

對他們而言，「馬利歐」這個人存在的意義，跟對你們的意義截然不同。

希望你了解，這是非常重要的一件事。

Lukas Korschan攝影

So who is Mario Götze the footballer? Well, when I was a small boy, I played football not really thinking that this could be my occupation at some point. But I loved the game and it was all I was thinking about. Fast forward to when I was 18 years old, I won the league with my hometown club, Dortmund, and everyone loved me. Two years later, I left for an even bigger club, Bayern Munich, and everyone in Dortmund seemed to hate me. They were calling me a traitor. But I had stayed in Dortmund all my life, and I simply wanted a new journey, new surroundings. Back then football was my life, so when something happened to Mario the footballer, it really affected Mario the person.

所以，這個足球員馬利歐是哪位？嗯。當我還是個小男孩的時候，我抱著不覺得會成為我人生某些轉折點的心態踢著足球。但我愛著、滿腦子都是足球比賽。很快地我18歲了，我跟著我故鄉的球隊多特蒙德贏下了聯賽冠軍，當下我備受人所愛。兩年後，我甚至前往一個更大的俱樂部，拜仁慕尼黑，而在多特蒙德的每個人都開始恨我，他們都叫我是個「叛徒」。但我當時一輩子都在多特蒙德，而我就只是想追求一個全新的旅程跟環境。回到當時，足球是我的一切，所以當有些事情在足球員馬利歐身上發生時，它也會影響在馬利歐這個人身上。


But the worst part was how it affected my mother and my two brothers. Your grandma and uncles.

最糟的部分體現在它怎麼影響我的母親跟兩個親兄弟，也就是你們的祖母跟叔叔。


Not just because one of my brothers was confronted in school.

Not just because we needed police protection outside our house.

不只是因為我弟弟要在學校裡面對的那些事。

不只是因為我們家外圍從此需要警察的保護。


As a family, all we knew was in Dortmund, but now my mother wanted my little brother to find a school in Munich, to stay close to me. A little later, my older brother, who also played football, found a club in Munich.

作為一家人，我們熟知的一切在多特蒙德，但如今我母親卻希望我的小弟去慕尼黑的學校就讀，可以離我近一點。稍後一點點，我同樣在踢球的哥哥，也在慕尼黑找到了球隊。


One day my mother said, “That’s it, we’re all moving to Munich.”

Just because of me.

有一天，母親說：「受夠了，我們全家都搬到慕尼黑吧。」

這都僅僅是因為我。

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images攝影

All I wanted was to play at the highest level possible. The year after, I scored the goal that made Germany champions of the world. I’m not making this up! I was so good that people said I would become one of the best players on the planet. They expected me to be a superstar for the next 10 years.

我所想望的，就只是在可能的最高水準的舞台比賽。次年，我打進了讓德國奪冠的那顆進球。我不是在胡編，當下我的狀態好到人們說我會成為地球上最好的球員之一。他們期待我成為接下來十年的超級球星。


I was the new German hope.

The next Messi. (You know him, right?)

我一度是全德國人的新希望。

下一個梅西。(你知道他，吧？)


But this is a big burden to carry. I felt like I had to dominate every game, every week. No bad days. Win today, and tomorrow. And I tried so hard, I really did.

但那是個重擔。我感覺到我得在每一場比賽、每一個比賽都要全力以赴。不能有表現不好的日子。今天要贏球、明天也要贏球。我很努力試著這麼做了，我真的試過了。


But human beings do have bad days. They get injured. They get ill. Even when you’re playing well, the coach can change systems and you’re out. Looking back, I was too strict with myself.

但人有旦夕禍福。他們會受傷、會生病，甚至當你踢出成績來時，教練可能會換打法系統，而後你就沒有首發了。現在回首，我對我自己或許太嚴苛了。


I also wish I had been a little more patient.

我也希望我當時更有一點點耐性。


I’ll give you an example. In 2016, I nearly went to a famous team in England called Liverpool. The coach there was a man named Jürgen Klopp.

跟你舉個例子。2016年，我已經很接近要加入英格蘭一支叫利物浦的知名隊伍。他們當時的教練是一個叫尤爾根克洛普的人。


Maybe you have seen pictures of him? Tall, big smile, very funny. Jürgen had been my coach at Dortmund, and I did not realise how lucky I was to have him. I went to his house in Liverpool, where we sat down together in the living room with our wives. What makes Jürgen special is that he sees Mario the person. We did not talk much about football. He wasn’t saying, “How can I convince you? What do you want?”

也許你看過他的照片吧？高高的、臉上常常掛著笑容，很有趣的人。尤爾根是我在多特蒙德時的教練，而我當時不知道我是何其幸運在我的人生遇到他。我到了他在利物浦的宅邸，我們在客廳裡坐著相談，他的太太跟我的太太，也陪伴著我們一起相談。尤爾根看待馬利歐這個人的方式，是造就他如此特別的緣故。我們的對話沒有在足球上著墨太多。


He asked me about life in general, and I think he said something like, “Look, Mario, you’ll play a lot, and you’ll have fun here. I know that’s the most important thing for you. The club is amazing. Have a think about it.”

他問了關於我的日常生活，我印象中他說了一些像是：「看，馬利歐，你在這裡會擔當大任，而且會過得很歡樂。我知道對你來說這是最重要的事情。這球隊很棒。想想看這件事嘛。」


I really wanted to play for him again.

But I also wanted to win things right away. I was so impatient! Liverpool had just finished eighth in England, and Dortmund had come second in Germany. Dortmund had also signed André Schürrle, one of my best friends in football. I remembered how much fun it had been the first time, when we won two league titles and made it to the Champions League final. Maybe things would be like in the good old days, you know?

我真的，很想再次為他效力。

但我同時也想要在當下就獲得錦標。我當時很沒耐心！利物浦在英格蘭才以當季第八名作收，並且多特蒙德成為了德甲第二名。多特蒙德當時也簽下了安德烈許爾勒，我足壇的摯友之一。我記得我第一次在多特蒙德隊上是多快樂的一件事，當時我們贏下了兩座聯賽冠軍，並打入了歐冠決賽。也許會重回美好的往日時光，你知道嗎？


So I went back. And as much as I love Dortmund, I do feel that I missed out on a special journey with Jürgen. I didn’t understand that he needed time to build a great team at Liverpool. There was not really any need for me to play in the Champions League right away. I just didn’t think that far ahead.

所以我回去了多特蒙德。而我感覺到我錯過了一趟尤爾根領軍的特別旅途的感覺，跟我愛多特蒙德的程度一樣深。我當時不明白他需要時間才能在利物浦打造一支絕佳隊伍。我真的不需要這麼急著去打歐冠比賽，我當下就是沒想得那麼遠。


But Dortmund still means a lot to me. Given the same circumstances, I would probably decide the same again. And anyway, I always try to look forward.

但多特蒙德仍然對我意義良多。若是回到那時候，我可能還是會做一樣的決定。而且再怎麼說，我總是試著向前看。

Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images攝影

All thanks to the two of you. When Mom first got pregnant in the fall of 2019, I was very focused on changing clubs. I wasn’t playing much, and when my contract ran out the following summer, I’d be able to join another team for free. For the first time I was going to have all options, regardless of transfer fees or what my current club wanted. I was so set on my plan that when Manchester United wanted me in the winter, I said no.

感謝你們兩個(羅曼與喬伊雅)。當媽咪在2019年秋天懷孕時，我正全神貫注於球隊更替，我並沒有獲得太多上場機會，並且我在下一個夏天合約就要到期，屆時我將可以免費轉隊。我第一次握有一切的可能，無須考慮轉會費或是我現在的球隊想要什麼。我對籌備這件事情全神貫注，以至於我拒絕了曼聯想要在冬季轉會引進我的計畫。


A few months later, in March 2020, I got a call from Hansi Flick.

幾個月後，2020年三月，我接到了漢西佛里克的電話。

“Would you ever come back to Bayern?”

「你這段時間有想過回到拜仁嗎？」

Well … why not?

嘛...有何不可？


We agreed to stay in touch.

我們有了保持聯繫的共識。


And then I became a dad, and when we came home from the hospital, for the first time in my life, I had no club. Monday morning, nowhere to be. Nowhere to go. No game. No targets. No teammates to laugh with. I was a full-time dad, which was amazing, but also … different. I was sitting on the couch, hoping that my phone would ring. Bayern had just won three trophies, and I was waiting and waiting and waiting…. I spoke to Hansi a few more times … but in the end, it didn’t work out.

但隨後我成為了人父，而當我們從醫院回家時，那是我人生第一次成為沒有球隊約的球員。週一早上，我沒處待、我沒處去、我沒比賽、我沒有要達成的目標、沒有一起歡笑的球友。我成了一位全職爸爸，固然很棒，但......感覺不太一樣了。我坐在沙發上，期盼我的電話會響起來。拜仁剛剛拿下三冠，而我能做的就是無盡的等待等待再等待......我跟漢西再說過幾次話......但到頭來，這但到頭來，這無濟於事。


And suddenly it was October, and there was a deadline for registering players for European competitions, which was running out soon.

轉眼就到了十月，當時是登錄為歐戰比賽球員的死線，它的截止日已經迫在眉睫。


I was 29 years old. I had a kid. A family.

No job.

No income.

I was worried.

我當時29歲，我有一個小孩、一個家。

沒有工作。

沒有收入。

我對此感到憂愁。


I knew that I would find a club, but, you know … come on! I had played for Dortmund and Bayern, two of the biggest clubs in Germany. A few months ago, Manchester United and Bayern had called me.

我知道我會找到一支球隊，但，你知道......欸不是！我曾經效力過德國兩支最大的球隊，多特蒙德跟拜仁。幾個月以前，曼聯跟拜仁也相繼跟我聯繫。


And now … silence.

How was this possible??

但如今......一切鴉雀無聲。

這怎麼可能？


I made one last call to a man named Roger Schmidt. Looking at it right now, I don’t think he knows how important he was for not only my career, but also for me as a person. He was there in the right place at the right time. He was coaching a Dutch club called PSV Eindhoven back then, and we’d been in touch for a few weeks. They were already training for the new season, so I asked if he’d be interested in signing me that very day. Thankfully, he did, and I got to play for a big club and a German coach close to home in Düsseldorf. Perfect.

我撥了最後一通電話，給一個叫羅傑施密特的男子。現在回首，我想他並不清楚，他不只是對我的整個職涯，也對我作為一個人帶來了多重要的影響。他在那裡是我的天時地利。他當時正在一支叫PSV恩荷芬的荷蘭球隊執教，我們前面幾週有過接觸。他們當下已經在為新賽季進行備戰，因此我問了他是否對在那緊要關頭簽下我有沒有興趣。

萬幸他有。於是，我開始為一支德國教練帶領的，離我杜塞道夫的家很近的大球隊踢球，完美。


But what if Roger had said that there was no space for me on the team?

但萬一羅傑說我在他的球隊裡沒有位置呢？

That’s when I realised I couldn’t sleepwalk from club to club. I needed a plan. I had to do something other than football.

那個當下是我了解我不能只是在各個球隊之間流轉夢遊。我得描摹一張藍圖，除了足球，我還有其他事情得做。

One day, I’m going to get out of bed, check my club calendar, and see lots of blank space. And not just for three months. Forever. No career. No competition. No income. I’ll be a former footballer, but I will still be a husband and a father. I had to prepare for a second life, and this is so easy to forget, because we athletes simply focus on our next game and then — POOF! — it’s over.

總有一天，我將會從床上起來，檢查我的球隊行事曆時，看到一大堆空白時段。那不僅僅是三個月，而是永遠。沒有發展、沒有競爭、沒有收入。我將會是一個「前」足球員，但我仍還是一個丈夫跟父親。我需要為我的第二人生做準備，並且這很容易被遺忘，因為我們運動員很容易只專注在我們的下一場比賽然後——咻——一切就結束了。


You probably think we get help dealing with this difficult transition, right?

你可能會想，我們會在這種困難的轉換期獲得幫助，對嗎？


Well, we don’t.

沒有，並不會。


Nobody tells us how to handle our finances. How to save. How to invest. Nobody even cares as long as we perform.

沒有人告訴我們如何理財、如何省錢、如何投資。甚至沒有人對我們表現出來的日常生活，投注同等的關心。


“He’s a footballer, he’ll be OK.”

「他是足球員耶，他會OK的啦。」


For sure, we are lucky to have money in the first place. Most people would love to have our jobs. But we’re still people. And no matter what we earn, we still have to deal with retirement mentally. This is so important because the day we stop being athletes, we lose a big part of our identity.

無庸置疑，我們很幸運在第一線就賺到錢。大部分的人會對能擁有我們的工作愛不釋手。但我們終究是凡夫俗子。無論我們賺到什麼，我們都需要對退役生活從心理層面做個打算。這很重要，因為當有一天我們不再是運動員時，我們將會失去很大一部分的自我認同。

Today I’m Mario Götze, footballer. With no football, who will I be?

今天的我，是足球員馬利歐格策。但沒有了足球，我又是誰？

Lukas Korschan攝影

The next time you see a player who’s in for “just another season,” ask yourself: Is it pure love for the game? Or fear of stepping away?

下一次當你看到說自己要打「最後一季」的球員，問問看你自己：「這純然是對比賽的熱愛嗎？還是只是怕從這項運動中抽身以後的日子？」


There’s a great guy named Dirk Nowitzki, the first German — and European — to be named Most Valuable Player in the NBA. He played basketball until he was 40 years old. He had surgery on his ankle and pain in his foot, but he kept going. For sure, he loved it, but now he is 46 and can hardly move. I met him once in Frankfurt, and he said, “Mario, I should probably have stopped five years earlier.”

有個很棒的人叫做德克諾威斯基，他是第一個被授予NBA的最有價值球員的德國——跟歐洲人。直到四十歲，他都身在籃壇。他當時膝蓋動過手術，並且足部一直備受痛苦，但他仍堅持繼續打。當然，他愛籃球，但現在46歲的他已經舉步維艱。我在法蘭克福遇過他一次，他跟我說：「馬利歐，我早該在大概五年前，就該結束我的職涯了。」


In sports, five years is a long time.

在運動界，五年是很漫長的一段時間。


You know David Beckham, right? When I recently met him in Paris, he said, “I miss everything about football — I want it back.”

你知道大衛貝克漢，吧？當我最近一次在巴黎遇到他，他跟我說：「我想念關於足球的一切——我好想要能重溫它。」


The day after he stopped playing, he flew to Miami to run a football club. He said, “I had to keep going.” He needed a new reason to get up each morning, something that could help him build a new identity.

他告別足壇的翌日，他飛往邁阿密經營一支球隊。他說：「我得繼續往前走。」他需要一個每天可以喚醒他、一件能幫他重新建立自我認同的新理由。


I’ll have to keep going, too. When I signed for PSV, I began studying how former athletes in the U.S. set up their businesses. Today we’ve established a family office, and I’ve made investments to secure our future.

我也得繼續往前走。當我和PSV簽約時，我開始研讀在美國的前運動員們怎麼起步他們的事業。時至今日，我們建立了一間家族辦公室，我在裡頭進行投資來保障我們的未來。


Mario Götze, investor.

This will be my second life.

投資人馬利歐格策，這將是我的第二人生。


I don't want to be known only as the guy who scored that goal in the World Cup. People still ask me about it, and I understand why. It was an incredible moment, but it was also just one chapter in my life.

我不想要一輩子只被人以「在世界盃打進那個進球的傢伙」記住。人們還是會問我那件事，我也深知原因。那是個不可思議的瞬間，但那只是我人生中的其中一章。

When they ask if it was the best moment in my life, I simply smile. There’s so much more I want to accomplish.

當他們問我，那是不是我人生最美好的瞬間，我總是笑而不答。還有太多太多我想完成的事情。


I hope that things make a little more sense to the two of you now.

現在，我希望對你們兩個，雜亂無章的訊息開始釐清多一點點了。


Today, I’m still playing football, but after my first experience abroad, I’m now at Frankfurt, back in the Bundesliga. The league where I’ve been loved and hated, where I rose so quickly and put myself under so much pressure. I have also played in another World Cup. But I’m in a different position now. I try to help the younger players, to be a guidance on and off the pitch. And since arriving here, Frankfurt has become a very special place for me. Not just because of this club and its fans, but because this is where you two have your first real memories. This is where you, Rome, are in the stadium cheering for me and running around on the pitch after the games. This is where you, Gioia, were born, making our little family complete.

今時今日，我還在踢足球，但在我第一次國外踢球的經驗後，我回到了德甲，現在為法蘭克福效力。在這座對我或愛或恨，讓我聲名鵲起又讓我自己找壓力扛負重前行的聯盟。我在另一場世界盃出賽。但我的位置不同了。我試著幫助年輕的球員們，作為球場上下的引路人。

而自從來到法蘭克福以後，這裡成為了對我來說別具意義的一個地方。不單單是因為這個球隊跟它的球迷，更是因為這是你們兩個孩子第一次，創造你們自己記憶的地方。

羅曼，這是你在球場裡幫我歡呼、在比賽後的球場來回奔跑的所在。

喬伊雅，這是你出生、讓我們的小小家庭更完整的所在。



This is my story. I could go on and tell you more. Just ask me. I will always be by your side and answer your questions.

I’m a father first. A footballer second.

- Mario Götze

這是我的人生故事。我還可以侃侃而談跟你們分享更多。只要你們來問我，我將會永遠陪著你回答你的問題。

我先為人父，次為球員。

—馬利歐格策

If any of your friends asks about me, you can tell them that I had some good times and some bad times, and that I am happy with what I achieved. Could it have gone better? Sure. But life isn’t perfect. I lived my dream and had so much fun along the way.

如果你有哪個朋友問到我的事情，你可以跟他們說，我經歷過美好跟糟糕的時光，但我對於我拿過的成就很高興。它可以更好嗎？當然，但人生總是留有遺憾。我曾活在我的夢想中，並且在這一路上獲得了很多快樂。


And in the end, I’m grateful. I have everything I could ever want.

但最後，我心存感激。我擁有了我想要的一切。


I have two beautiful kids and an amazing wife. I’m healthy, I’m playing for an amazing club, and I’m having more fun than ever, because now that I’m a father, I realise what football is. It’s a game. It’s a small part of my life. If I play a bad game, you will still be there. If I come home with a cut on my forehead, which happened the other day, you don’t care because you want to play with Lego. And I forget the cut, because in that moment, there is nothing I would rather do than play Lego with you.

我有著兩個美麗的孩子跟美妙的妻子。我很健康，我為一間美好的球隊效力，我比起以往過得更有趣味，因為現在我是個父親了，我了解足球是什麼。那是項比賽，是我生命的一小部分。如果我踢得不好，你們仍會在那。如果我另一天帶著額頭上的傷回家，你們也不會責怪，因為你們想玩樂高。而後我會忘記受傷，因為此時此刻，除了跟你一起玩樂高，我什麼事都不想做。




My phone used to be full of football highlights. Now it’s just you two.

One day, I hope you will realise how much you mean to me.

我的手機裡以前滿滿都是足球的精華剪輯，現在裡頭都是你們兩個。

有一天，我希望你們了解，你們在我心中的地位。

Finally, one last thing.…

A few months ago, I saw you sleeping next to each other in the bed. Even though I had seen it hundreds of times before, I began thinking about the fact that he has a sister, and she has a brother, and now they can grow up together.

最後，還有一件事......

幾個月前，我看著你們倆在床上相鄰入睡。即使我已經看著此情此幕數以百計次了，我仍開始想著，他有個姐妹、她有個兄弟，而他們可以一起成長的事實了。


It was so simple, you know? But I found it so beautiful.

這很單純，你知道吧？但我發現到這是多美好的一件事。

I felt so lucky.

我感到十分幸運。

And then I began to cry.

而那時我掉起了眼淚。

Thank you for making my life complete.

謝謝你們，讓我的人生一切圓滿。

I love you.

我愛你們。



— Daddy

——你們的爹地