Ranking Bayern Munich's Top 5 Players for 2015
The 2015 calendar year is nearly over, and now is the time to look back on what has been a phenomenal time in the careers of many Bayern Munich players.
The club had its ups and downs during the course of the year, but has played especially well since the summer break, and many individuals have elevated their game to the next level.
In their honor, B/R takes a look back on the year, ranking Bayern's top performers based on their contribution to the club's success in 2015.
Click "Begin Slideshow" to see our countdown.
5. Douglas Costa
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Douglas Costa makes his way into the top five despite only spending the second half of the 2015 calendar year at Bayern following his transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Unlike some new signings, the Brazilian attacker immediately took to life in Munich, filling in for the injured Franck Ribery and quickly making the Frenchman appear a thing of the past.
Costa recorded at least one assist in each of his first seven Bundesliga games, and he has provided 14 and scored five goals himself in all competitions. Not bad for a player who missed the last six games of the first round with a muscular injury.
Had Costa played the entire year at Bayern, he surely would have ranked better on this list. That he is even in the top five after half a year is a real testament to the impact that he's had.
4. David Alaba
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Defenders rarely get much recognition among the world's best players, but David Alaba is deserving of a spot among the top five players of 2015 at Bayern Munich.
The defensive all-rounder, who played in central defense and midfield in addition to his natural left-back position, was brilliant wherever he played and was a consistent performer despite being shuffled around the pitch.
Alaba's outstanding performances have seen his stock rise and rise, with Transfermarkt now assessing his market value at €45 million, superlative among defenders in world football. At 23 years of age and still with his prime ahead of him, he's certainly earned such an accolade.
3. Jerome Boateng
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Jerome Boateng is the second defender to find his place on the list of Bayern's best performers in 2015, the Germany international having had perhaps the best year of his career thus far.
Many will remember Boateng's slip in the lead-up to Lionel Messi's killer goal against Bayern in the Champions League, but aside from that moment, the Berlin native was outstanding.
Bayern's defensive record was simply brilliant, and Boateng was a key part of that despite having a wide range of partners alongside him—from Mehdi Benatia to an unfit Holger Badstuber to Javi Martinez, to even out-of-position players like Alaba and Xabi Alonso.
Regardless of who his partner was at any given time, Boateng hardly ever set a foot wrong and even developed his game when in possession.
At this point, there are few center-backs who can play long passes as well as he can.
2. Robert Lewandowski
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Robert Lewandowski had an outstanding 2015 calendar year, particularly during a stint this fall in which he just couldn't stop scoring.
The striker emerged as arguably the world's best striker, the culmination of years of hard work during which he often seemed to be undervalued.
During the 2015 calendar year, the Poland international played 51 games for Bayern. He scored 38 goals and gave 10 assists. It's a remarkable return, and the player managed to have a big effect in many key games.
He's unlucky not to finish No. 1 on this list, as his performances would merit such recognition in almost any other year.
1. Thomas Muller
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There wasn't much to split Lewandowski and Thomas Muller in 2015: Both were attackers with incredible prolificacy in terms of goal creation, and both directly contributed to approximately the same number of goals in 51 appearances. In Muller's case, it was 47 goals (31 scored directly, plus 16 assists), vs. Lewandowski's aforementioned 48.
But despite being slightly less effective in racking up big numbers, Muller ranks No. 1 on this list. The main reason is that he was "Mr. Dependable," with a bit more consistency overall than his more streaky teammate, who scored five goals in nine minutes against Wolfsburg but didn't always deliver week-in, week out.
And Muller's range of abilities is a little greater, the attacking all-rounder also contributing plenty in the build-up and defense.
It could have been a tie, but on the margin, Muller edges Lewandowski. The German is a true phenomenon of the modern game and is one of the very best players in world football at this point.
