Bayern Munich are probably the strongest side in the world right now.
That will be confirmed if they beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final tonight.
Not only do they have world-class individuals but they’re an incredible team unit.
The entire 23-man squad cost Bayern less than what PSG paid for both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
The 23 players set the German club back £324.21m, compared to PSG spending a grand total of £330.3m.
But where did these Bayern players come from?
We all know about Gnabry’s failed loan spell at West Brom which happened five years ago.
It got us thinking: Where were the rest of the squad back in 2015? Well, we took a look:
Manuel Neuer
Where was he five years ago? Bayern Munich.
Neuer has been at Bayern for nine seasons now.
Joshua Kimmich
Where was he five years ago? Bayern Munich.
Kimmich had just signed from RB Leipzig for €7 million. What a signing he’s proved to be.
Jerome Boateng
Where was he five years ago? Bayern Munich.
Like Neuer, Boating is in his ninth season at the club after his arrival from Manchester City in 2011.
David Alaba
Where was he five years ago? Bayern Munich.
Alaba has been at the club since 2008.
Alphonso Davies
Where was he five years ago? Whitecaps FC Residency.
Davies’ story is remarkable. He was at the academy of professional team Vancouver Whitecaps five years ago when he was 14. Now he’s one of the best left-backs in world football.
Thiago Alcantara
Where was he five years ago? Bayern Munich.
Thiago has been at Bayern for seven seasons having signed from Barcelona for €25 million in 2013. Will he be leaving the club in the summer?
Leon Goretzka
Where was he five years ago? Schalke.
At the age of 20, Goretzka was playing for Schalke before he signed for Bayern on a free transfer in the summer of 2018.
Ivan Perisic
Where was he five years ago? Wolfsburg.
Perisic played in Germany for Borussia Dortmund and then Wolfsburg for three seasons before joining Inter Milan, who he’s currently on loan from.
Thomas Muller
Where was he five years ago? Bayern Munich.
Muller has been at Bayern his entire professional career after he played for TSV Pähl during his youth days.
Serge Gnabry
Where was he five years ago? West Brom
Exactly five years ago, Gnabry was shipped on loan to Tony Pulis’ West Brom. He only managed to play one Premier League game during his time after he was deemed ‘not up to standard.’ Pulis must be pretty embarrassed right now.
Robert Lewandowski
Where was he five years ago? Bayern Munich.
Lewandowski signed for Bayern from Dortmund in January 2014. He’s scored 246 goals in 288 games for the club. Not bad.
Kingsley Coman
Where was he five years ago? Juventus.
Five years ago, Coman was at Juve but was just about to join Bayern on a two-year loan spell before signing permanently.
Philippe Coutinho
Where was he five years ago? Liverpool.
Coutinho was Liverpool’s main man five years ago. After this final, his future will be up in the air.
Michael Cuisance
Where was he five years ago? Nancy II.
As a 16-year-old, Cuisance was in Nancy’s youth side in France.
Lucas Hernandez
Where was he five years ago? Atletico Madrid.
2015/16 was a breakthrough season at Atleti for Lucas Hernandez. He made a €80 million move to Bayern last summer.
Ron-Thorben Hoffmann
Where was he five years ago? RB Leipzig.
At 16, Hoffmann was on the books at RB Leipzig.
Javi Martinez
Where was he five years ago? Bayern Munich.
Martinez signed for Bayern in 2012 after spending six seasons at Athletic Bilbao.
Alvaro Odriozola
Where was he five years ago? Real Sociedad.
Odriozola enjoyed two seasons at Sociedad before he was snapped up by Real Madrid. The midfielder then signed on loan for Bayern in January 2020.
Benjamin Pavard
Where was he five years ago? Lille.
Pavard was in his native country playing for Lille. He then moved to Stuttgart, where he spent three seasons - the first of which was in Bundesliga II. Bayern signed him in January 2019 and it proved to be an inspired purchase.
Niklas Sule
Where was he five years ago? Hoffenheim.
Sule was at Hoffenheim before Bayern spotted him and signed him in January 2017.
Corentin Tolisso
Where was he five years ago? Lyon.
Tolisso spent six years at Lyon until Bayern paid €41.5 million, plus up to €6 million in potential bonuses in the summer of 2017.
Sven Ulreich
Where was he five years ago? Stuttgart.
The goalkeeper had just finished his final season at Stuttgart before he moved to Bayern.
Joshua Zirkzee
Where was he five years ago? ADO Den Haag.
At just 14-years-old, Zirkzee was at ADO Den Haag before moving to Feyenoord.
