Ranking Bayern Munich's Top 10 Summer Transfers of the Past 10 Years
Bayern Munich have come a long way in the last 10 years, both in terms of performance on the pitch and their financial status and ability to attract star players.
It wasn't long ago that Massimo Oddo and Alexander Baumjohann were considered big recruits for the Bavarians, who have more recently made €30 million signings become rather routine. Yet with blockbuster deals and those of smaller scale, Bayern have found a wide range of players who have contributed to the club becoming the superpower it is today.
B/R has run the rule over the last decade of Bayern transfers, ranking the best summer moves the German giants have made based on their influence on the club's development. Click "Begin Slideshow" for a look at those who narrowly missed out on our list, then advance to the following slide to commence the countdown with No. 10.
Honorable Mentions
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There are more than 10 great transfers Bayern have made in the last decade, and unfortunately, some star players have had to miss out on this list.
Some of those excluded from our top 10 are players who have only recently joined the club or haven't had a long-enough run of playing time to have a definitive impact. As such, 2015 summer signings Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman miss out on the list despite having played brilliantly in the first couple months of their respective Bayern careers. Both appear to have addressed long-term squad-building issues that were an increasing concern with Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery both in their 30s. But it would be a mistake to jump to any conclusions after just three-and-a-half months of football.
Thiago Alcantara also misses out on the list because of the fact that in two-plus years in Munich, he's rarely been at 100 percent and has yet to make a key impact in the team's pursuit of trophies. When fit, he's often been brilliant, but we're still waiting to see what he can do over the course of a full season and the impact he could have on Bayern's silverware haul.
10. Luca Toni
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Coming in at No. 10 is Luca Toni, a striker long forgotten by many Bayern fans, but one who for a brief period helped the club transform from one that placed fourth in the league table in 2006-07 to the one that won the title a year later.
Signed in the same transfer window as Franck Ribery, Toni would prove to be the key man for the French winger to target with his playmaking. He was the Bundesliga's top scorer in 2007-08 with 24 goals and thrived under Ottmar Hitzfeld, as he managed an outstanding 39 goals in all competitions. He would score 18 more the next season before becoming a pariah under Louis van Gaal, but if not for Toni's presence in the squad, Ribery may never have become the superstar he did at Bayern.
For his part in putting a struggling and underwhelming Bayern back on track, Toni (an €11 million signing, via Transfermarkt) makes the top 10.
9. Mario Gomez
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Mario Gomez is a controversial figure in German football, a player who was thrown under the proverbial bus by former club president Uli Hoeness, per Goal, and dropped from the Germany national team even during a time when his scoring rate at club level was highly impressive. Yet, like him or not, it's hard to deny he played a key role in bringing Bayern to where they are now.
Signed for a then-record €30 million in 2009, Gomez had his ups and downs but was generally a very consistent and reliable source of goals. Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben may have been the magicians creating opportunities out of nothing, but Gomez was the man to put away the opportunities. Despite a disappointing first season, he managed to score 113 goals in his Bayern career, including 80 across the 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns. In those same two seasons, he also managed to score 21 times in the Champions League—including the winner against Real Madrid in the first leg of the 2012 semifinal.
Yes, Gomez was notoriously shaky in big games and offered precious little when not in goalscoring form. But when Bayern were still developing into the super-club they are today, when Edson Braafheid and Danijel Pranjic were among their transfer targets, he proved to be an important signing.
8. Robert Lewandowski
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If this list were made a year or two from now, Robert Lewandowski would likely be much better ranked. Unfortunately, the Poland international hasn't had very much time to build a legacy at Bayern. Last season, Bayern only won the Bundesliga title, and Lewandowski wasn't as vital to that success as, for example, top scorer Arjen Robben. He also spent the first half of the season struggling for form.
Throughout 2015, however, Lewandowski has been absolutely brilliant for both club and country and is now in the form of his life. His productivity has put him in the same league as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of raw goal output, and if Bayern go on to win silverware at the end of the current campaign, they'll undoubtedly owe much to Lewandowski.
Arriving at the club on a free transfer, he may one day be remembered as one of world football's greatest bargains for a striker.
7. Javi Martinez
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It was rather surprising when, after the 2012 Champions League final, Jupp Heynckes singled out midfield as the one area where Bayern Munich specifically needed reinforcement. Yet the trainer had his vision, and the club splashed a record €40 million, per Transfermarkt, to sign Javi Martinez from Athletic Bilbao.
As events would unfold, Bayern managed to sign the piece of the puzzle who would bring their midfield to the point of exceeding that of the great Barcelona. They never completed 1,000 passes in a game, but the Bavarians utterly dominated Xavi and Andres Iniesta's once indomitable midfield in the semifinals of the 2012-13 Champions League campaign. Much of it was thanks to Martinez, whose partnership with Bastian Schweinsteiger was one of the best holding midfield combinations in recent memory.
Martinez has spent much of the last two seasons injured, and when he has played, Pep Guardiola has used him in varying positions. But in spite of the high cost, there's no denying he was a worthwhile buy and a crucial component of the side that won the treble in 2013.
6. Mario Mandzukic
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In addition to Martinez, another huge signing for Heynckes in 2012 was Mario Mandzukic. Bayern needed competition for Mario Gomez, and the €13 million signing, per Transfermarkt, proved to be great value. Although the concept of the defensively lazy center forward was more or less a thing of the past, Mandzukic redefined the role of striker in that his value to the Bayern team was as much as a defender as a scorer.
Although not as prolific as Gomez overall, Mandzukic had an outstanding work rate and incredible physical strength, and he used these attributes to hold onto a starting role ahead of the German. The Croatia international bullied defenses to open space for his teammates.
It was he who scored the key goal to put Bayern ahead of Dortmund in the 2012 DFL-Supercup, lifting the mental block that had formed from five consecutive losses to the then-two-time defending Bundesliga champions. And it was he who scored the opener against BVB in the Champions League final the following spring. Even though Mandzukic was eventually let go, those goals alone justify the modest fee spent to sign him. His status as a key player in the historic 2012-13 team make him a hero of Munich.
5. David Alaba
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Many may overlook David Alaba's origins, but the Austria international was not a Bayern player for his entire career. He developed his talents at Austria Wien from 2002 to 2008 before, as a 16-year-old, moving to Bayern. As much as the German giants' academy deserves praise for helping him develop into the player he is today, their scouting system also deserves high praise for spotting Alaba and bringing him to Munich.
Alaba is an indispensable part of the Bayern team. Still just 23 years of age, he already has enormous experience and is widely regarded as the world's best left-back. Beyond that, he looks to be the ultimate complete footballer, capable of playing in midfield, wide and central defense.
Like Thomas Muller, Alaba is a cornerstone of Bayern's new generation. And having signed with Bayern for a fee of €150,000, his appreciation to €45 million, per Transfermarkt, a current high among defenders, represents quite an incredible return on investment.
4. Jerome Boateng
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When Jerome Boateng left Manchester City in 2011, he was an underused right-back who really wasn't suited to the position of wide defender. His sale for €13.5 million, per Transfermarkt, meant City made a profit after his €12.5 million purchase from Hamburg. Yet it was Bayern who would profit most from the deal.
Four years later, Boateng is arguably the world's best center-back. It's no coincidence the Bavarians reached the Champions League final in each of his first two seasons in Munich. By now, he's won everything at club level and lifted the World Cup with Germany in 2014. A devastating combination of skill and raw power, Boateng has it all.
It truly is fantastic Bayern's scouts saw the potential he had and that he has managed to achieve it in Munich. He now is irreplaceable for both club and country.
3. Manuel Neuer
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Every great team needs a great defense, and Manuel Neuer has been an absolute rock at the back for Bayern since joining the club in 2011. Initially rejected by some of the more extreme fan groups in Munich, who weren't happy with his having come through the Schalke academy, Neuer has since become loved by all supporters. And that's for good reason.
Neuer is and for several years has been the world's best goalkeeper. Time and time again, he's bailed out his club in difficult situations, and his ability to keep focused, even in games in which he's rarely required, is a testament to his outstanding winning mentality. Neuer has redefined the position of goalkeeper, his confidence radiating as he's taken on an aggressive, sweeper-style role.
And although his transfer fee has risen to €30 million because of performance-based incentives, per Transfermarkt, that's not a bad price for a stopper who's helped the club set record after record in terms of defense and who has won countless titles since his arrival.
2. Arjen Robben
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If Franck Ribery put Bayern Munich back on the map, Arjen Robben was the signing that affirmed Bayern Munich were again an international superpower. The Dutchman may have been offloaded by Real Madrid to make way for a new wave of Galacticos, but unlike Ribery, he came from a top club and would have been welcome just about anywhere in Europe. But it was Bayern who signed him, and it was Bayern that reaped the rewards.
A few long-term injuries and a nightmare of a 2012 spring campaign aside, Robben has been huge for Bayern. His heroics practically carried the German giants to the 2010 Champions League final, and he assisted and scored the goals that won the final three years later.
Once an injury-ravaged egotist, Robben has evolved at Bayern and become one of Europe's finest footballers. Looking back, the €24 million spent to secure his services, per Transfermarkt, is peanuts compared to the value he's brought.
1. Franck Ribery
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He may have been rather quiet over the last 12 months, but Franck Ribery is nonetheless the key player in the rebuilding of Bayern Munich. Without his signing, Die Roten would not be the club they are today.
When he signed with the Bavarian giants in 2007, Ribery was the club's record transfer at €25 million. Although expensive, he was a star Bayern could afford; the world's most elite footballers would have demanded too high wages and made moves to clubs that, at the time, were more competitive in the Champions League.
And then Ribery himself became one of the greatest footballers in the world. Although some have come and gone after playing their part in Bayern's development, the Frenchman is the constant the club relied upon until very recently. He played a key role in both of Bayern's goals in the 2013 Champions League final. And although Robben assisted and scored those goals directly, it's doubtful the Dutchman would have made the move to Munich in the first place if not for the prospect of joining forces with Ribery and a reinvigorated Bayern side.
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