Germany striker Mario Gomez hopes he has finally proved the doubters in his homeland wrong after three goals in his opening two Euro 2012 games.
Bayern Munich striker replicating his club form at international level
Germany striker Mario Gomez hopes he has finally proved the doubters in his homeland wrong after three goals in his opening two Euro 2012 games.
The 26-year-old has scored freely for Bayern Munich over the last two seasons but at international level his striking abilities have been questioned.
Gomez failed to score at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, which had intensified the pressure on him to perform at an international tournament.
Euro 2012 began well for the Bundesliga record transfer holder, who scored against Portugal in Germany's opening Group B game for them to win 1-0.
Support
"After that goal against Portugal I thought things would be easier and that there would be support for me from all sides," said Gomez. "That was not the case."
Gomez followed that up with a match-winning brace against Holland and is now the tournament's joint-leading scorer with three goals.
And he describes the feeling after scoring his first against the Dutch as one of sheer relief.
Top-scorer
"There was enormous pressure before the game, just enormous, and it was extremely difficult for me," he added.
"After the first goal, I ran towards this orange wall of Dutch fans. Then I turned back. I did not celebrate because maybe it was such a relief. It was not as easy for me as you'd think.
"I am not interested in being top scorer. I am interested in winning the title. This tournament is not about Mario Gomez, it is about the German national team."
