IT HAS BEEN labelled ‘the most famous shoe in the world’ and now the boot that scored the winning goal in this year’s World Cup final could be adorning your mantelpiece.
Mario Gotze has revealed he is auctioning off the very Nike boot which volleyed the ball past Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero at the Maracana in July.
The Bayern Munich midfielder, who has revealed he is yet to wash the boot, has decided to put it up for auction with all proceeds going to German charity Ein Herz fur Kinder or A Heart for Children.
“I have never washed the shoe,” he told newspaper Bild. “It is still in the same condition as it was in Rio, when I left the stadium with it.
“There is still grass on it. I have never put the boot on after the final. I kept it safe at my house.”
The boot will no doubt be a sought-after piece of memorabilia given Gotze’s goal secured Germany’s first World Cup since reunification.
Gotze admitted he has rebuffed a significant amount of interest in his size 9 left boot, instead opting to use his exalted status to raise significant funds for charity.
“I was often asked, many were interested,” Goetze said. “For example, sponsors, other companies and friends.
“The one who makes the largest donation to A Heart for Children in the seven days before the TV gala gets my World Cup boot!”
It’s not the first heart-warming gesture by one of Germany’s World Cup winners. After the tournament, Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil paid for 23 Brazilian children to undergo life-changing surgery by donating his winner’s bonus.
