5 Bayern Munich Players Whose Stock Tumbled in the 2014/15 Bundesliga Season

Bayern Munich's 2014-15 campaign ended on Saturday with their final match of the season in the one competition in which they won silverware: the Bundesliga.

It was the first time in three years that the Bavarian giants were unable to win more than one trophy, and although it was a success in that they managed to maintain their domestic dominance, there were many disappointments throughout the season. Because of injuries or just plain poor performances, several Bayern players saw their stock sharply decline.

Here, B/R takes a look at those Bayern stars whose standing suffered the most in 2014-15.

Click "Begin Slideshow" for our top five.

Mario Gotze

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Having scored the winner in last summer's World Cup final, Mario Gotze returned to club football with a head full of steam. He hadn't played for much of the tournament and was relatively fresh, and Bayern relied on him as Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery recovered form and fitness.

There was a spell, early in the season, when Gotze almost single-handedly carried Bayern. But that was only temporary, lasting just a few weeks.

Gotze was shockingly ineffective thereafter, looking almost lost in most games. He may have been played out of position on the left wing in many instances, but that really is no excuse for a player whose complete skill set had previously made him effective as a playmaker, right-winger and even as a false nine.

Gotze lost Pep Guardiola's favor in the spring and was only a late substitute in both legs against Barcelona in their Champions League semifinal and in the DFB-Pokal semifinal against Borussia Dortmund. He may have returned to Germany a hero last summer, but at this point, Gotze looks to be well on his way to eternal-talent status: Always a prospect, but never a true superstar.

Xabi Alonso

Michael Probst/Associated Press

Xabi Alonso joined Bayern as a veteran with plenty of experience and confidence after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid a year ago, but he showed his years more and more as the campaign drew on.

The 33-year-old was perhaps overworked at times and made several costly mistakes. He gifted goals to Manchester City and Porto in the Champions League and was sent off against Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 16 of the same competition. He was often found behind the pace in big games against aggressive, pressing teams and was fortunate not to be shown the red card on several more occasions.

Alonso was by no means a resounding failure. He did quite well for much of the campaign, especially early on. But when the going became tough, his limits as a defensive player and his lack of mobility, which has only been accentuated by age, were exposed.

Franck Ribery

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

When he played, Franck Ribery was brilliant. That was, however, rather rare. The Frenchman spent much of the 2014-15 campaign on the sidelines, making a modest 23 appearances in all competitions as his Transfermarkt value dropped from €38 million last July to €32 million in February.

An injury-ridden season would not significantly affect the value of a younger player, but Ribery celebrated his 32nd birthday in April. He may still have some real class left, but he is now at an age when his characteristically explosive turn of pace can be expected to noticeably decline. That, combined with his new-found proneness to injury, makes his stock substantially less than it was a year ago.

Once an irreplaceable, key figure in the Bayern attack, Ribery can no longer be relied upon in the same way to dazzle on a weekly basis.

Holger Badstuber

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Holger Badstuber looked to put his injury-ridden couple of years behind him when he returned to action last August, but the defender went on to have yet another season blighted by physical problems.

The 26-year-old did remarkably well to recover from a pair of anterior cruciate ligament tears that had hitherto sidelined him for nearly two full years. However, he only lasted a few weeks before a thigh tendon tear kept him out until the winter break. And after a few games in the spring, he sustained a muscular tear in his thigh that ended his season early.

Badstuber's injuries are all linked. The thigh problems are related to the area that stabilizes the knee joint he twice had repaired. Therefore, the probability of him having a chronic ailment is quite high. Come the beginning of next season, he'll have played just a handful of games in almost three years.

It's inspirational that Badstuber continues to strive for a career in professional football, but at this point, the odds are against him. If there was a chance of him not having to hang up his boots early at the start of the 2014-15 campaign, that took a big blow with his repeated setbacks over the course of the season. With his continued lack of fitness, Badstuber's value has taken a hit.

Philipp Lahm

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Philipp Lahm entered the 2014-15 campaign on a high, having captained Germany to success at the World Cup in Brazil last summer. He was valued at a career-high €30 million after that triumph, per Transfermarkt. But things have taken a downward turn since.

Lahm suffered a fracture in his ankle in November and was sidelined until March, since which time he hasn't managed to recover his form. He turns 32 in November, and such a serious injury at his age is cause for concern as to whether he will indeed reach his best once more.

That isn't to say that Lahm's career is over. He may indeed have plenty left in the tank. But there are, justifiably, questions to be asked, and an appraisal of Lahm would surely see his valuation set lower than it was a year ago.