Leroy Sane Shows Bayern Munich Just the Type of Player They Should Be Producing

Bayern Munich overcame tough opposition away to Schalke on Saturday, claiming a 3-1 victory after the hosts had canceled out David Alaba's early opener. Although the Bavarians' star-studded attack wasn't at its sharpest, a goal Javi Martinez put them in front for good before Thomas Muller put the match out of reach with a last-gasp third as Schalke pressed for an equalizer.

It wasn't the first time Bayern managed to negotiate a stern test following the international break, and it wasn't the first time they managed to find a new way to win three points. More or less, things went according to script.

One thing that was very different on Saturday, though, was that a young opponent managed to take the game to Bayern. The Bavarians have faced several teenage wonderkids this season, such as Marc Stendera of Frankfurt as well as Stuttgart's Timo Werner. Neither managed to make his mark on proceedings. But on Saturday, 19-year-old Leroy Sane was by far and away the best attacker on the pitch before Bayern went 2-1 ahead in the 69th minute and the game began to open up. 

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Here's the Leroy Sane assist from earlier. Not bad for a 19 year old playing against Bayern Munich pic.twitter.com/jOEuw6M0Kb

— Monkey Sponge (@monkey_sponge) November 21, 2015"

Max Meyer may have scored the equalizer with a very good, curling effort, but it was Sane who made it possible. The youngster ran the length of the pitch after collecting a defensive header and flicking the ball to himself to bamboozle Alaba before making Xabi Alonso look every bit a player who will turn 34 on Wednesday. Sane burst forward and eventually laid the ball off for Meyer to find the net.

The equalizer was the only time Sane would prove a decisive role in attack, but in truth, he was excellent throughout. He took on the world's best left-back in Alaba with surprising confidence and was apparently comfortable enough to dig into his bag of tricks on occasion.

There are many talented footballers in Germany, but few are able to elevate their game on the biggest stage. Sane is one of them. Although he never was as prolific as teammates Meyer or Donis Avdijaj at youth level, Sane nearly knocked Real Madrid out of the Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu in the spring of 2015.

Coming on as a substitute in the 29th minute, he leveled the score at 3-3 with a gorgeous effort from distance before setting up Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's winner. It was his Champions League debut, and the youngster was simply sensational.

Having taken the next step in his career this season and earned a nomination to the Germany national team, Sane is a perfect example of the kind of player Bayern should be looking to produce in the years to come.

It's been five-and-a-half years since a new player from the Bavarian giants was called up to Joachim Low's team, and in that period few have been involved even in the youth national teams. By comparison, Schalke youngsters Sane, Max Meyer and Leon Goretzka have all been brought into the Nationalmannschaft in the last 18 months.

A club criticized as of late for signing Germany's best talents but bringing little to the table themselves, Bayern have some catching up to do. Their only representative in the Germany under-18 through to the under-21s during the recent internationals was Joshua Kimmich, a 20-year-old who only signed with Bayern this summer after developing at Stuttgart and RB Leipzig.

To their credit, Bayern had two players in each of the current under-16 and under-17 squads. But they still have a long way to go if they are to catch up to Schalke, Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund and even second-division sides such as Leipzig and local rivals 1860 Munich in terms of developing German talent.

The example of Sane as part of a four-man Schalke midfield of a combined 79 years of age should be a reminder to Bayern that an academy can indeed produce top-caliber players capable of delivering at the highest level. Looking forward, he's the model to follow.

@Mr_Bundesliga