Bayern's Super Mario

Much like the diners in the famous restaurant scene from the romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally", strikers throughout the Bundesliga may be excused for shooting envious glances in Mario Gomez's direction and saying: "I'll have what he's having." While Meg Ryan's character was obviously faking it, Super Mario seems to be the real deal once again.

The Bayern Munich striker's form over the past two years has seen him leave behind many of the cruel jibes and sleights of the critics along with the habit of slashing shots towards the corner flag or threatening the supporters in Row Z with wayward volleys from close range.

He is now consistently showing the kind of attacking prowess that persuaded Bayern to splash out 35-million euros for him in the summer of 2009. Whatever he once had, and then subsequently lost, Gomez has certainly rediscovered it again.

But what is it? What is it that he's having that every other striker searching for that kind of record-breaking form wants too?

Whatever it is, it seemed to have reappeared at the start of the 2010/2011 season. Before that, in his debut season for the club, Gomez rarely made it off the bench despite Bayern paying his former club VfB Stuttgart a Bundesliga record fee for his services.

After helping Stuttgart win the Bundesliga title in 2006/2007, contributing 14 goals and winning the German Player of the Year award in the process, the lanky striker went on to hit 35 goals for VfB in his final season with the club – a return which earned him a move to Munich and one which should have guaranteed him a starting berth.

Bayern bench warmer

Coach Louis van Gaal had other ideas, preferring Ivica Olic and Miroslav Klose ahead of him. However, Gomez did manage 29 appearances in total – mostly from the bench – but could only manage ten goals in the Bundesliga, plus three in the German Cup and a single goal in Europe as Bayern won the German double but lost in the final of the Champions League.

"When Gomez came to Bayern Munich, Louis van Gaal told him that he didn't want him, that he had not sanctioned his transfer and that he would be the fourth choice striker behind Olic, Klose and Thomas Müller," Carlo Wild, a Bayern expert at Kicker magazine, told Deutsche Welle. "Van Gaal told Gomez he could leave and if it hadn't been for Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge blocking this, Gomez would have gone as Liverpool were very interested in taking him."

"This destroyed Gomez's confidence," Wild added. "He was already having big problems understanding what it meant to play for a big club like Bayern; he didn't act like a star, he didn't demand the respect and starting role of a 35-million-euro player and he was too sensitive. It was a big challenge for Gomez to change this."

His international career was also in a downward spiral at this time. His abject displays in Euro 2008 gave rise to the opinion outside of Germany that he was over-rated; a player that lacked the bottle to be a top striker and that he fed on poachers chances rather than attacking skill. Eight international goals in the subsequent two years of underperforming didn't help to dispel the growing suspicions that Gomez was a busted flush.

"At Stuttgart, Gomez’s former club, all eyes were on him - and the whole system was built around him as well with all efforts designed to get him into position," Thomas Becker, a Bayern correspondent at Munich’s Abendzeitung newspaper, told Deutsche Welle. "It was a completely different situation in Munich; he was only one among many super stars and huge egos like Robben, Ribery, van Bommel - and of course the coach, Louis van Gaal. This was a big problem for a sensitive guy like Gomez."

"Van Gaal refused to change the system in favor of Gomez, a player which was not used to the harsh criticism which was van Gaal's style," he added. "He was also not getting any support from the national team set-up so his confidence plummeted. Losing confidence is always bad if you want to be a striker and in this situation at Bayern, it was no surprise that he was looking to leave."

A matter of feeling wanted

The following season was a different matter, however. Van Gaal - at least until he was sacked in April of this year – suddenly decided Gomez deserved a chance, dropping Klose to the bench and using Olic sparingly. Mario was suddenly in a completely different position at Bayern and he responded accordingly, hitting 37 goals in all competitions to be the Bundesliga's top scorer during a 'disaster' campaign for Bayern which ended with no silverware.

When Jupp Heynckes finally took over as coach at Bayern this summer, there were concerns that Gomez would again revert to the type many critics have him pegged him as – a so-called 'streaky' player whose form comes and goes in waves and whose class is never permanent. A change in formation could have undermined his qualities or perhaps the coach would also favor a change of personnel up front. Instead, as the attacking focus of Heynckes's 4-2-3-1 system, with Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos and Franck Ribery behind him, Gomez has gone from strength to strength.

"Gomez has found a balance now between being a sensitive person and being clinical on the pitch," said Wild. "He has a new outlook; he knows now that he is worthy of Bayern Munich, that he's a good player and that he can score goals. If he misses a chance, he knows another will go in. He knows he will always get chances now."

"This is all down to a new-found confidence. Jupp Heynckes has come in and said, you are my main striker, you are a star and this has translated into Gomez's play. His mood and his technical skills have improved dramatically because of this new belief."

Gomez has already hit 12 goals in the first 11 Bundesliga games of this season and is currently equal top of the Champions League scoring charts with Barcelona's Lionel Messi on five goals.

Record breaking season?

Gomez's Bundesliga form this season appears to be even better than that of the last and he is already being spoken of as a possible successor to the legendary Bayern and Germany striker Gerd Müller as the holder of the record for most goals scored in a single season.

Müller's all-time Bundesliga goal scoring record stands at 40, a record set in the 1971-72 season. "Mario is capable of beating my record, there is no doubt about that," Müller told German daily Bild. "And I would be happy for it to be beaten by a Bayern player."

"This is just for the public," Gomez said, responding to speculation regarding the record. "What matters and what remains are the titles you win with a team. League and Cup, that's what matters. Obviously I am happy but at the end of the day scoring goals is my job."

Despite his heroics over the past two years, Gomez's detractors are still numerous and many more continue to underrate him. FIFA completely overlooked his 37-goal haul last season when looking for a German for the Ballon d'Or shortlist this week. It was Thomas Müller, the young Bayern and Germany striker, who was named on the list of players vying for the title of world's best – not Gomez, who scored almost twice as many goals as his colleague last year.

Perhaps breaking Gerd Müller's Bundesliga record will prove his doubters wrong once and possibly for all. And who knows, at just 26, perhaps Gomez will go on to beat the record for international goals in a Germany shirt. Then maybe people will really consider this Mario to be Super.

Author: Nick Amies
Editor: Andreas Illmer