In collaboration with Goal, Voetbalzone regularly highlights young players who can go far in the future or who are already earning their spurs in (inter)national top football. This time the focus is on sixteen-year-old Paul Wanner, who can call himself the youngest debutant in Bayern Munich’s history and impresses his trainer Julian Nagelsmann.
Bayern found themselves in a difficult situation at the beginning of 2022 when the club was hit by a corona outbreak after the winter break. The resumption of the Bundesliga was imminent and so the club had to come up with an emergency plan. A number of talented youth players were transferred to the first team, but it turned out that the club did not yet have enough substitutes for the home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach (1-2 loss). This forced Bayern to call the German Football Association (DFB) with a request to put midfielders Paul Wanner and Arijon Ibrahimovic on the first plane home from Marbella, where they were part of a Germany Under-17 training camp.
The two sixteen-year-olds rushed back from Spain, but given the short preparation and their limited experience in the U23 squad alone, it was considered unlikely that either of them would play for Nagelsmann’s squad. Ibrahimovic eventually also stayed on the bench in the Allianz Arena for the entire ninety minutes, but the sixteen absentees on the Bayern side worked out well for Wanner. The young talent was given the opportunity to write history due to the special situation the club was in. Coming in in the final fifteen minutes of the game, Wanner became the youngest player in Bayern history at 16 years and 15 days, and the second-youngest debutant in the Bundesliga after Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko.
For many players his age, that would have been the last the fans saw of him for years to come. Wanner did not return to the Under-19s to develop further, however, as Nagelsmann was hugely impressed with the attacking midfielder and insisted that he remain part of the main squad. After his debut against Mönchengladbach, the teenager received short substitutions from his trainer during the won Bundesliga matches with FC Köln (0-4), Hertha BSC (1-4) and Greuther Fürth (4-1).
For those who saw Wanner in action on his debut, that should come as no surprise. From the moment he stepped onto the field, he looked confident. On his first move, he checked a pass from Benjamin Pavard on the right flank and then dribbled out two opponents’ heels. The teenager regularly claimed possession of his team-mates as they tried to save a point after trailing 1-2. It was Wanner who set up the attack that almost led to Robert Lewandowski’s late equalizer.
Paul Wanner makes his debut for Bayern Munich. He turned 16 just 15 days ago ?? pic.twitter.com/K0leY710fJ
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 7, 2022
“He can do anything…He’s an incredible talent,” Nagelsmann said during the post-match press conference about Wanner, who is already being compared to Mesut Ozil because of his positional play. “He has a very good ball control, with which he can completely change game situations,” Marc-Patrick Meister, Germany Under 17 coach, told GOAL and SPOX† “Wanner is a great passer and dribbler for his age. His first thought is always to play the ball in the direction of the opponent’s goal, and his speed of thinking and execution makes him a special talent.” He has averaged 77.6 every goal or assist for Germany’s Under-17s in seven international matches, while also racking up four goals for Bayern’s Under-19s this season.
“Paul is a very agile, attacking-minded player who has played in all attacking positions in midfield,” explains Meister. That experience is likely to help him further manifest himself in the Bayern first team in the coming years. Wanner comes into his own as number ten, but with Thomas Müller ahead of him, the opportunities to hold that position will likely be limited. The experience he has gained as a winger means he could be an interesting option for Nagelsmann, even if it is quite a challenge for such a young player to break through at a top European club like Bayern.
“He is incredibly ambitious. The bigger the challenge, the better he performs – he really is someone who develops quickly and is eager to learn,” Bayern youth coach Alex Moj said in an interview recently. The Athletic† Which Meister also agrees with. “Wanner’s will to learn will ensure that he continues to improve.” The areas where Wanner has developed a lot since moving from Ravensburg to Bayern in 2018 are his defensive skills, and his willingness to work hard to regain possession as quickly as possible via gene printing†
While not yet physically strong, Wanner has worked hard to be a scourge to opponents both on and off the ball. Meister supports the top talent to make the necessary changes that are necessary to be able to succeed in top football.
“Players of his age are confronted in a very short time with things that others have more time to understand and adapt to,” says Meister.
“For example, the pace of the game is much faster and the time for a decision at the ball is much shorter. If Wanner stays injury free, he can adapt and achieve a lot with the skills he has.”
Until recently, Wanner had an expiring contract with Bayern, but at the end of January white smoke finally came and the sixteen-year-old midfielder signed a multi-year contract. “I am incredibly proud and happy to have signed my first contract with Bayern Munich,” Wanner said on the official club website. “My childhood dream has come true. I’ve been playing for Bayern Munich since I was 12 and always wanted to become a professional here. I want to thank everyone from the youth academy and Hasan Salihamidzic and head coach Julian Nagelsmann for their trust. Finally, a huge thank you also goes to my family, who have always supported me.”
When will most likely follow the same path as Jamal Musiala. According to sources from Sports1 he will continue to train with the first team and a loan is not an option. The youngster looks set for a long and successful career at Bayern. The Bundesliga frontrunner was forced to be creative at the beginning of this year by the large list of absentees. The fact that Bayern chose to supplement the coronavirus-ravaged roster with Wanner may have helped the club discover a new gem.