"It would be a mistake to think that the stadiums will fill up again completely. We must be honest. It won't be that simple, because I fear that the past two years have affected a lot of fans," he told the Welt am Sonntag paper on Saturday.
He hopes, however, that the pandemic has made the whole football business aware "that the fans made football so great in the first place."
"So as soon as the pandemic situation allows, we should get back to the football we all love - with a wild atmosphere in the stands and in the pubs," the player said.
Goretzka is one of the few football players who publicly takes a political stand and talks about social issues, and he appealed to fellow athletes to do the same.
"I would like to encourage every person, every colleague to take a stand, because I think it's important to speak out. There are already some colleagues in the Bundesliga taking a clear position, that makes me happy," he said.
The Germany international has the impression that some people would like to speak out, but fear possible consequences.
Due to an injury, Goretzka hasn't featured for Bayern since the 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund on December 4. Recently, he told the club website that he's "in top shape, but my knee is still giving me problems."
