Ranking Bayern Munich's Players on Their Performances at Euro 2016
Bayern Munich were well represented at Euro 2016, with nine players among their ranks in June earning calls to the tournament's contestants in France.
Some among the Bavarian giants' ranks were eliminated in the earlier stages of the tournament, while others went further, with Kingsley Coman even going the full distance with France. And individually, some Bayern players were heroic while others flopped.
Bleacher Report has reviewed the players from Bayern's team as of the tournament's start, ranking them in terms of their performance.
Click "Begin Slideshow" to commence the countdown to No. 1.
9) Thomas Muller
1 of 9
Country: Germany (eliminated in semi-finals)
Minutes Played: 570
Thomas Muller was one of the best footballers in the world for almost the whole duration of the 2015-16 season. But his form waned later in the spring as apparent fatigue set in, and he completely collapsed when the Euros came.
Muller had plenty of creative playmakers around him, but in some games struggled to get into position to score. And in others, he failed to capitalize on his opportunities. He missed his penalty in the semi-final shootout against Italy and ended the tournament without a single goal. In his frustration, he began to take longer, less probable attempts at goal and resorted to complaining to referees.
Germany needed Muller in good form if they were to win the Euros, but he failed and they slumped to defeat.
8) David Alaba
2 of 9
Country: Austria (eliminated in group stage)
Minutes Played: 245
David Alaba was almost as disappointing as Muller, but he ranks higher on account of the fact that he had fewer games to play and was part of a less gifted team that had lower expectations.
Still, Alaba was poor against Hungary and dreadful in the scoreless draw with Portugal, in which he was substituted off midway through the second half.
He deserves some sympathy given that his role within the midfield changed during the tournament, but Austria needed Alaba to play well in order to survive the group stage, and they didn't get the needed productivity from the only superstar within their ranks.
7) Mario Gotze
3 of 9
Country: Germany (eliminated in semi-finals)
Minutes Played: 234
Mario Gotze was Germany's hero in the World Cup final two years ago, and Joachim Low showed his loyalty by starting the Bayern man at striker against Ukraine and Poland.
Gotze added precious little to the German attack in those games and less from a left-wing position against Northern Ireland, prompting the trainer to bench him for the first two knockout round games. The Bayern man made a late return against France in the semi-finals but again failed to do anything of note.
The 24-year-old nonetheless ranks better than some of Bayern's other Euro competitors solely because he wasn't given many chances. He didn't do enough to earn a high ranking, but he didn't woefully underperform either.
6) Robert Lewandowski
4 of 9
Country: Poland (eliminated in quarter-finals)
Minutes Played: 510
As with Muller, Robert Lewandowski's form toward the end of the club season suggested fatigue and that he might not have a good Euro 2016. He didn't and was actually quite poor despite Poland playing well as a team.
Lewandowski ranks better than Muller and Alaba on account of the fact he scored the goal against Portugal that facilitated his side reaching extra time against the eventual finalists. It was a key goal, even if it wasn't enough to avoid Poland's elimination.
5) Thiago Alcantara
5 of 9
Country: Spain (eliminated in round of 16)
Minutes Played: 26
Thiago Alcantara might have hoped to have become a regular contributor to his Spain team by the age of 25, but at this point he remains on the periphery of the squad.
He played just 20 minutes against the Czech Republic in Spain's group-stage opener and later the final six minutes in the 2-1 loss to Croatia. But that is all.
Like Gotze, Thiago's ranking ahead of some Bayern players is due to his not having been given as many chances.
4) Kingsley Coman
6 of 9
Country: France (runners-up)
Minutes Played: 272
Kingsley Coman was always going to have trouble making Euro 2016 his tournament to shine, as he entered the competition as a youngster in a squad of abundant superstar talent. Nonetheless he earned starts against Albania and Switzerland, his pace proving dangerous at times despite lacking a bit of end product.
On the whole, the 20-year-old's contribution at the Euros was limited to a rather good half of football against the Republic of Ireland in the round of 16; although he had an hour to prove himself in the final, for example, he left something to be desired.
Coman's day will come, though, perhaps at the 2018 World Cup.
3) Joshua Kimmich
7 of 9
Country: Germany (eliminated in semi-finals)
Minutes Played: 390
Joshua Kimmich entered the Euros an unproven option from the Germany bench, but unlike fellow youngsters Julian Weigl and Jonathan Tah, he was given a real chance to prove himself.
After sitting out the first two matches of the group stage, the 21-year-old made his tournament debut against Northern Ireland and was a candidate for man of the match. He added more skill in attack from the full-back position than Benedikt Howedes had before him, putting cross after cross into the penalty area. And he still managed to hold firm in defense.
Kimmich didn't miss a minute after his tournament debut and played well in general, although he did have a big role in conceding France's second goal in the semi-finals. He's still young, though, and looks to be on the right path towards success.
2) Jerome Boateng
8 of 9
Country: Germany (eliminated in semi-finals)
Minutes Played: 509
A silly handball against Italy will be the moment many will remember from Jerome Boateng's Euro 2016, which is rather disappointing given how well he played aside from that moment of madness.
What should be remembered is his heroic tackle to deny Robert Lewandowski in the match with Poland and his thunderous volley against Slovakia.
Boateng played through injury for half the tournament, yet he still hardly put a foot wrong. And when he did go off, Germany collapsed: The goal France scored after his forced substitution was a perfect example of how Die Mannschaft lose their defensive shape in the absence of the Bayern man.
1) Manuel Neuer
9 of 9
Country: Germany (eliminated in semi-finals)
Minutes Played: 570
Euro 2016 was a low-scoring tournament, and naturally, the number of goals corresponded with some great goalkeeping performances. But above Gianluigi Buffon and Yann Sommer, Manuel Neuer really was superlative.
His magnificent opening game against Ukraine set the stage for the rest of the tournament, and his brilliance against Italy before and during penalties helped Germany make history in finally beating the Azzurri in a tournament match.
On the whole, Neuer may have been the best player at Euro 2016 from any club. He certainly was the best from Bayern.
