Joachim Loew, head coach of German men's football team, has admitted that he should have never compared Mario Götze, who did not make it into the country's 27-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, to Lionel Messi publicly, according to Tencent Sports.

Germany released the 27-man squad for the World Cup in Russia on Tuesday. Mario Götze, the country's hero who scored in the extra time of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final in Brazil to help his team win the trophy from Argentina with a 1-0, did not find his name on the list. Four days later, Götze posted on social media that though he was sad for not being able to play in the World Cup, he would work harder to make it back to the national team.

In response, Loew said in public: "He (Götze) has not been in his peak condition in the past season. I'm sorry Mario. I hope you can come back 100 percent after this summer."

Besides the response, Germany's head coach has also admitted that his excessive expectation contributed to Götze's disappointing season. Before Götze was sent to the field in the 2014 World Cup Final, Loew told him: "You need to prove to the world that you are better than Messi!" However, as this moment became known to the public, Götze began to feel the pressure. Having been called the "World Cup hero" by the media, Götze suffered more and more from the mental burden and as a result his performance declined enormously.

"I had not considered the possible impact before I said  that to Götze. I said those things only to encourage him but it was a mistake to share it with the public. A few months later, it began to have a negative impact on Götze. When a young player makes a winning score during an important match, it will become his burden. Götze did not play well this season, not like the 'Super Mario' we used to know," said Loew.