Bayern Munich's 10 best signings of the decade (2010-2019)

#10 Mats Hummels (2016)

Mats Hummels shored up Bayern's defence - and made them a huge profit when he was sold

Not content with stealing away Borussia Dortmund’s best striker on a free transfer when they signed Robert Lewandowski in the summer of 2014, Bayern rubbed more salt into the wounds of their rivals when they also signed their best defender – Mats Hummels – in the summer of 2016 when his contract at the club expired.

A World Cup winner with Germany in 2014, Hummels was already known as one of the world’s best centre-backs when he joined Bayern to form a formidable partnership with Jerome Boateng in the heart of Die Roten’s defence. He won three straight Bundesliga titles during his time at the Allianz Arena – being practically ever-present in each season outside of periods in which he was injured.

After being named in the Bundesliga’s Team of the Season on two occasions, Hummels left Bayern to return to Dortmund in the summer of 2019. In a move that made him even more of a smart signing for the Bavarian side, they were able to fetch a huge fee of €37m for him – making a massive profit on a player who had already turned 30 years old and who had joined them for nothing.