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As one of the greatest clubs in European football, Bayern Munich have made a name for themselves as a ‘super club’. Players like Gerd Muller, Oliver Kahn and Miroslav Klose have donned the famous colours of Germany’s most successful club, but many have gone on and succeeded elsewhere.
Whether it’s in search of a more competitive league or in search of more playing time, for the then youngsters on this list, here are ten players the club perhaps regret selling.
#10 Lothar Matthaus
There’s no doubting that Lothar Matthaus was one of the greatest players to grace a football pitch. The German midfielder had it all from well-timed tackling to inch-perfect passing and great positional sense.
Just four years into his Bayern Munich career – after moving from Borussia Monchengladbach – Matthaus transferred to Inter Milan. At the time, it’s fair to say that playing in Italy was the biggest achievement in a footballer’s career. It was the league to be in.
Matthaus won three consecutive Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich in addition to reaching the 1987 Champions League final prior to his move to the Italian giants, where he fine-tuned his career.
During his time in Italy, Matthaus captained West Germany to a World Cup final win over Argentina while being named in the All-star team alongside Andreas Brehme and Jurgen Klinsmann. His heroics at Italia ’90 led to Matthaus being named the Ballon d'Or winner in 1990.
Two years later, the World Cup winner was back at Bayern Munich at the age of 31. A better player than he was when he left for Italy in 1988, Matthaus spent a further eight years in Bavaria before moving to America, where he retired.
During his second spell at the club, Matthaus won a further four Bundesliga titles, two DFB Pokals and one European Cup. One can imagine what Bayern Munich would have achieved if he stayed in Germany during his prime.
#9 Andreas Brehme
Just like Lothar Matthaus, Andreas Brehme swapped Germany for Italy. The left-sided player followed the former out of the door for Inter Milan in what is probably one of Bayern Munich’s biggest exoduses in their history. After losing a number of key players, they had to rebuild.
Although he spent just two seasons in Bavaria, Brehme helped Bayern to the Bundesliga in 1987 before finishing runners-up to Werder Bremen the following season. In addition to his ’87 league triumph, Brehme has a DFL-Supercup to his name as well as a runners-up medal in the European Cup.
There’s no doubting the pull of Italian football at the time and so you can’t criticise the West Germany international for moving on. Just like Matthaus, Brehme spent four years in Milan, winning a Serie A and UEFA Cup while also playing a key role in West Germany’s World Cup win.
It’s certainly hard to predict just where Bayern Munich would have been had Matthaus and Brehme remained at the club, especially with the latter spending just two seasons in Munich. The iconic duo complemented each other on the football pitch while Brehme was arguably one of the best left-backs during his time.
#8 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
For ten years, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was the lynchpin of the Bayern Munich attack. Between 1974 and 1984, the West Germany international played 310 Bundesliga games for Bayern, scoring 162 goals. He was a player who put the club before anything else. Rummenigge was truly adored by the fans.
As a Bayern Munich player, Rummenigge won the Bundesliga on two successive occasions in addition to lifting the European Cup in 1975 and 1976. He was also the Ballon d’Or winner in 1980 and ’81. In his later years at Bayern Munich, the forward, tasked with filling the void of Gerd Muller, was wanted by Italian giants Inter Milan.
As was the norm back then, playing in Italy was the pinnacle of a footballers career. Stars from all around the world wanted to play in the Serie A, while this trio was no different. Rummenigge joined Inter in 1984 for a then record fee of €5.5 million. And at the age of 28, the Europa ’80 winner left Bayern Munich in his peak.
His three years in Italy didn’t yield any silverware while injuries stalled his career. It’s a shame, because at Bayern Munich he won almost every accolade possible. At present, Rummenigge is Bayern Munich’s CEO, helping forge them into a European powerhouse.
#7 Brian Laudrup
Like many prior to Brian Laudrup, his time at Bayern Munich was cut short due to a transfer to Italy. Only this time it wasn’t Inter Milan, it was Fiorentina. After just two years in Germany, the Denmark international went on to what was probably the most successful career post-Germany for a footballer from Scandinavia.
Although in the early stages of his career, to play 63 games for Bayern Munich you must be world class. A creative forward, like a No. 10 in the modern game, Laudrup scored 11 and created 14 during his spell at Bayern – which prompted a move to the Serie A.
Leaving Bayern Munich in 1992, Laudrup only had a DFL Supercup to his name but it’s what followed that propelled the Dane to new heights.
That year, Denmark defied all the odds to reach the European Championship in Sweden. They had beaten the likes of France, The Netherlands and then Germany in the final to lift the cup for the first time in their history.
Laudrup was the heartbeat of that team. Denmark’s win over Germany was and probably is one of the most memorable moments in European Cup history, alongside Greece defying odds to lift the same cup 12 years later.
After departing Bayern, Laudrup went on to lift numerous titles at Milan, Rangers and Chelsea. If Bayern Munich had decided to keep Laudrup, he could well have become a great.
#6 Mats Hummels
Brought through the youth team at Bayern Munich, Mats Hummels played second fiddle to Holger Badstuber before a loan move to Borussia Dortmund in 2007 as an 18-year-old. Just two years later, Borussia Dortmund made a permanent move for Hummels, where he then went on to establish himself as one of the Bundesliga’s leading defenders.
Instead of nurturing Hummels, Bayern Munich brought in Brazilian defender Breno, who went on to fail while Badstuber failed to get a lengthy run in the starting XI due to injuries.
In his time at Borussia Dortmund, Hummels won two consecutive Bundesliga titles under Jurgen Klopp as well as the 2012 DFB Pokal before adding the World Cup to his honours list just two years later.
Granted, Borussia Dortmund haven’t been able to challenge Bayern Munich following the departure of Klopp in 2015 but had the Bavarians kept Hummels rather than selling him in 2009, it could be a totally different story.
Bayern may not have just dominated the league, but conquered Europe.
July 2016 saw the return of Hummels to Bayern Munich. In his 42 Bundesliga fixtures since then, the German centre-back has gone from strength-to-strength, making himself one of the best, established defenders in world football.
#5 Lucio
At the time, Brazil international Lucio had already cemented himself as an experienced Bundesliga defender. Arriving in Germany from Sport Club Internacional in 2001, Lucio spent three years at Bayer Leverkusen before making the switch to Bayern Munich.
The central defender spent most of his playing career at Bayern where he spent five seasons, playing 218 games and earning several honours in the process. During his spell in Bavaria, Lucio was the key to Bayern’s defensive displays that helped them to three consecutive Bundesliga and DFB Pokal titles before moving to Inter Milan.
Upon being named as Bayern Munich head coach, one of Louis van Gaal’s first decisions was to sell the 31-year-old Brazilian, who had been their best defender. Lucio was deemed surplus to requirements but little did van Gaal know, he would come back to haunt Bayern.
There’s no doubting Lucio had a successful and enjoyable spell in Germany but a year after leaving, he would have the last laugh in the 2010 Champions League final. To complete the treble, Inter played Lucio’s former club Bayern Munich in the European Cup final.
Lucio played at the heart of the Inter defence who kept a clean sheet against Bayern in Madrid that night, proving that he had what it takes to play at the highest level until 2013.
#4 Toni Kroos
It’s fair to assume that one of Bayern Munich’s biggest regrets in the transfer window in recent history is the sale of Toni Kroos to Real Madrid.
The talented Germany international had been tipped to replace Bastian Schweinsteiger once he had moved on from Bayern Munich but after just one season under Pep Guardiola, the Spanish giants came calling.
With three Bundesliga and DFB Pokal titles to his name, Kroos was part of the team that lifted the Champions League in 2013 but after 24 goals and 49 assists in 205 games, it was time to move on.
“My change of team was correct, in fact, from my point of view there is no doubt about it. Clearly, if you go abroad to a top club, it means one more step in your development,” Kroos told the German FA in 2017.
The Germany international had spent just one season under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola before swapping Bavaria for Madrid in 2014. The move was announced just days after Germany had lifted the World Cup in Brazil while his €25 million switch could well be the steal of the century.
In his time at Madrid, Kroos has lifted the league title on one occasion but perhaps what is more impressive is lifted the Champions League on two successive occasions.
#3 Mitchell Weiser
After just one Bundesliga appearance for 1. FC Koln, Mitchell Weiser caught the attention of Bayern Munich. In the summer of 2012, the youngster made the switch to Bavaria for a nominal fee.
A right-back by trade, it was always going to be a tough job to get in the team ahead of Philipp Lahm – which is something that Weiser struggled with. Pep Guardiola had earmarked the full-back as a potential successor in both Munich and the German national team, thus giving him occasional game time.
Under the Spaniard, Weiser played 20 games, scoring one and creating four. It was however under Pal Dardai that Weiser eventually made a name for himself.
Summer 2015 saw the 21-year-old switch Bayern Munich for Hertha Berlin. And it’s a transfer that certainly made him flourish. At just 23, Weiser has made the right-back position his own in Berlin, but with the added incentive to push forward and help in attack.
It’s regular starts that Weiser wanted and that’s what he got. His impressive form has put the now 23-year-old in contention for a place in the Germany team at the World Cup.
But is it a missed opportunity for Bayern Munich? A return for Wesier would allow Joshua Kimmich to return to a midfield position while the inclusion of the former would only add stability to an already impressive Bayern Munich side.
#2 Douglas Costa
It’s hard to imagine that someone who departed Bayern Munich last summer is on this list. The Brazil international joined Serie A champions Juventus on an initial loan move before making a permanent switch for €40 million.
And although Bayern Munich have made a profit on Costa, the gap he’s left in the Bayern Munich team is rather noticeable. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery aren’t getting any younger while the only other option they have is Kingsley Coman.
Granted, Douglas Costa didn’t have the best spell under Carlo Ancelotti. 34 games under the Italian yielded seven goals and nine assists, compared to the 18 assists under Pep Guardiola in just a handful more games. It’s also fair to say that the 27-year-old offers something different from both Robben and Ribery, which caught the attention of Chelsea and Manchester United through the summer, before choosing Italy.
The Brazilian put his failed spell under Ancelotti down to injuries, he told Sport Bild: “I think Ancelotti didn't have much time to see me play. Because of the games with the [Brazilian] national team and of injuries, I wasn't able to prepare for the new season with him like I had done with Guardiola.”
#1 Emre Can
Leaving Bayern Munich at the age of 19 in search for more playing time, Emre Can has gone from strength-to-strength, establishing himself as one of Germany’s best players.
His versatility caught the eye of Liverpool bosses which resulted in the Premier League club spending around €10 million on the then Bayer Leverkusen midfielder. Working under Jurgen Klopp, Can has proved that he has the ability to play at the highest level while he’s improved his all-round game.
The Germany international not only looks strong defensively which is his primary role, but he’s now added goals to his game. It’s hard to imagine that come summer, Can will have spent four years at Liverpool, playing 155 games in all competitions.
However, it may be a missed opportunity for Bayern Munich. With an expiring contract, it looks as though Can may join Italian giants Juventus. Despite the announcement that Leon Goretzka will join Bayern Munich on a free transfer, a return for Can wouldn't have been a bad move.
Depending on who eventually replaces Jupp Heynckes, Can play in a back three, as an anchorman or at the heart of the midfield. In modern-day football, there are not too many players that can do that.
It’s probably fair to say that Can would be welcomed back to Bayern Munich at some point in his later career.
