Ranking Bayern Munich's Top 10 Youth Prospects
Bayern Munich have a reputation for promoting young talents, with Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Holger Badstuber, Toni Kroos and David Alaba having come through their ranks and into the first team since the turn of the millennium.
The last few years have been a bit disappointing, though, as the senior side has reached a new level in terms of its competitiveness, and the academy has produced few talents that have been brought into the German youth national teams.
Still, there looks to be hope on the horizon as Bayern have genuine class in their under-17s, and a few underused starlets are either on loan or have left the club with buy-back clauses. Provided they take their chances, they could be valuable to Bayern's first team in the coming years.
In this article, B/R ranks the top 10 talents, aged 17-21, who are either under contract at Bayern or who will play at Bayern should the club exercise an option to buy. The players are assessed based on standing relative to their peers and where they will be should they fulfill their apparent potential.
Click "Begin Slideshow" to commence the countdown, starting with No. 10.
10) Dominik Martinovic
1 of 10Dominik Martinovic is one of two strikers to watch in Bayern's youth teams in the coming years.
The 18-year-old has scored 11 goals in 13 league appearances for the under-19 team, making him joint second on the top scorer chart for his region. And after a hiatus of over three years, he may make a return to the German youth national teams soon.
Martinovic ranks last on the top 10, though, because he is a bit of a big fish in a small pond in Bavaria.
In 11 career appearances in the UEFA Youth League, he's only scored once, and his not having been called up by the German youth teams is an indicator that he's a bit behind his peers. Still, he's done well this season and could yet make the professional leap.
9) Milos Pantovic
2 of 10In his first season with Bayern's reserve team, 19-year-old Milos Pantovic has made a good impression of himself. The winger has found the net 10 times, putting him joint third among top scorers in the Regionalliga Bayern.
He made his Bundesliga debut in a one-minute cameo against Werder Bremen in October, and he debuted for the Serbian under-21 side as a substitute in November.
Although he's had a good season thus far, Pantovic still has some catching up to do if he is to become a full-time professional. Still 19, though, time is on his side.
8) Julian Green
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It's been quite some time since Julian Green emerged on the radar among Bayern fans, and he seems to have lost his way after an unsuccessful loan at Hamburg. Yet he is a player of quality. After all, how many academy prospects have managed to score a World Cup goal?
Attitude seemed to be a problem for Green at Hamburg, but the player has experienced a bit of a resurgence as of late. He struck a hat-trick for the reserves against Augsburg in October, and he ended the first half of the campaign with a decent tally of eight goals.
Whether or not he succeeds in Munich in the long term, he's still a player capable of being a good top-flight player in the future.
7) Gianluca Gaudino
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The son of Maurizio Gaudino, Gianluca has entered the world of football with quite an impressive pedigree.
The 19-year-old was a surprise package last season and made his way into the Bayern first team, impressing with his fine ball skills in his 11 appearances.
This season, however, Gaudino has fallen off the radar. His loan to St. Gallen for the second half of the season may be a good spark, although in all likelihood, he may need an extended stay away from Munich in order to develop his career further.
His is a November birthday, which—coupled with his diminutive stature—has stacked the odds against him, so it may be several years before it's clear just how big a talent he is.
With the right nurturing and a good attitude, though, he could be a star.
6) Sinan Kurt
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Sinan Kurt was sold to Hertha BSC last week, but he still makes this list as a Bayern prospect due to the Bavarians reportedly inserting a buy-back clause into his contract.
Just as Kingsley Coman will make this list in a better position, despite being officially on Juventus' books (Bayern have an option to buy), Kurt makes the grade given that Bayern have rights to him if they are willing to pay a sum that is trivial by their standards: €8-10 million effective in 2018, according to various reports in Germany, per Goal.
Moving to Hertha will give Kurt a chance to show his quality after a difficult first year-and-a-half in Munich. He previously was the crown jewel of the Borussia Monchengladbach academy, though, and (via Transfermarkt) scored 16 goals for their under-19 team two seasons ago.
If the 19-year-old can find his way back on the path towards success, he has potential to be a top player. And if they want him, Bayern will be able to get him.
5) Manuel Wintzheimer
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It can be tough to assess under-17 strikers competing in a not-very-competitive Bavarian region, but Manuel Wintzheimer seems to be the real deal.
He's one of the few Bayern players to have been called up to the German youth national teams in recent years, and already has two goals in as many appearances for the under-17 side.
At Bayern, he has an outstanding 21 in 15 appearances for the under-17s, and he could end the campaign with a league record.
The 17-year-old has a long way to go before reaching the first team, but he appears to be well above the curve at his age level.
4) Niklas Dorsch
7 of 10Niklas Dorsch is a name many Bayern fans may not be familiar with, but he's one of the biggest talents in the academy as of now.
The central midfielder was a key player in Germany's preparation for the Under-17 European Championship last summer, but he suffered heartbreak as his tournament was ended early due to an ankle fracture.
Dorsch, who will be 18 on Friday, played at the Under-17 World Cup this fall, but he was lacking match practice at that point and Germany suffered as a result.
Still, those who have seen Dorsch at his best will know he has a skill set comparable to that of Toni Kroos. If he can become anything like the Real Madrid man, he'll be a big success.
3) Pierre Hojbjerg
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Pierre Hojbjerg looked to be a player destined for stardom a few years ago, but he has deviated from the path to greatness as of late.
He spent considerable time riding the bench before his loan at Augsburg last spring, but a half-year there was not enough time for him to settle, and he was instead re-loaned to Schalke, where he's been second-choice in a squad full of young midfield prospects.
In spite of his recent stagnation, Hojbjerg is a hugely talented midfielder and the future of the Denmark national team. He has great box-to-box skills in midfield, with the ability to win the ball, distribute at all depths of the pitch and even score.
The 20-year-old will struggle for playing time in the current Bayern team, but with the right nurture and loaning, could yet become a star.
2) Joshua Kimmich
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Joshua Kimmich was a prospect flying under the radar of most Bundesliga followers not long ago, but his status has soared in the last 18 months.
The former Stuttgart youth won the 2014 Under-19 European Championship with Germany, in which he was one of the standout stars. And after a good half-season with RB Leipzig in the 2. Bundesliga, his transfer to Bayern was confirmed last January.
The 20-year-old hasn't often played thus far, but his career at Bayern is very young and he's still learning. Although not notably tall, he has great ball-winning skills due to his agility, quick acceleration and natural aggression. And he's not too shabby in possession either.
Per Stefan Coerts of Goal, Pep Guardiola recently hailed Kimmich for having "everything needed to become a great player." In a few years' time, he may make good on that potential.
1) Kingsley Coman
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Watching Kingsley Coman in the last few months, it's easy to forget that he's still a teenager. His instincts and understanding of the game—where to run, to whom to pass—are already highly refined, and he appears comfortable swapping roles with other forwards in a fluid and dynamic attacking system. Yet he is still just 19-and-a-half years old.
Armed with blistering pace and close ball control, the Frenchman is a great dribbler and a real spark plug in the Bayern team. His keen playmaking sense and ability to beat defenders one-on-one have already led to seven assists, plus many more chances created. And he also scored four goals in his 19 appearances for Bayern in the first half of the season. Not a bad return for a teenager.
In just half a year in Munich, Coman seems already to have usurped Mario Gotze's role in the Bayern team as first attacking backup, and he has solidified his role as Arjen Robben's heir-apparent. And his quality has been recognized outside of Munich as well: He was given his debut cap for France in November.
At this point, it seems to be only a matter of time before Coman becomes a superstar.
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