Bayern Munich without South America stars: Is this a risk of success?

Bayern Munich without South America stars: Is this a risk of success?

München, Deutschland - FC Bayern Munich faces a crucial sports policy because the current squad composition hardly includes Spanish-Latin American players. In the 2015/16 season, the team was still rich in talents from this region, including stars such as Thiago, Xabi Alonso, Dante, Rafinha and Javi Martínez, who contributed significantly to the success of the club. The influence of these players was not to be underestimated, especially in a team that developed a new game culture under coach Pep Guardiola.

In the 2024/25 season, on the other hand, only João Palhinha and Raphael Guerreiro are in the squad, apart from Eric dier, who has both the English and Portuguese citizenship. This change raises the question of whether FC Bayern as the top international team can remain competitive if it lacks the typical football culture from Spain and Latin America. Champions League competitor like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona rely on players from this region, while Bavaria has not survived the quarter-finals of the Champions League four times in the past five years.

challenge squad planning

The squad policy of FC Bayern is now being put to the test. Experts demand that the Spanish-Latin American element should flow into the planning more. At a time when other clubs are increasingly relying on international players, FC Bayern has to ask whether it can be successful in the long term with its current orientation.

In addition to the fluctuation of players, the association has also made a wide range of transfer decisions in recent years. Sadio Mané moved from Liverpool FC to Bayern in the summer of 2023, which resulted in a transfer fee of 45 million euros. These high financial resources reflect the increasing competition among the top European clubs that urge to change players. According to Deutschlandfunk there are transfer sums such as the 70 million euros paid for Matthijs de Ligt, as decisive factors for squad conversions.

• 50 million euros for Sadio Mané
• 45 million euros for Robert Lewandowski
• 60 million euros for Erling Haaland
• 70 million euros for Matthijs de Ligt

The current transfer period ends on September 1, and many teams, including Bavaria, are actively looking for new players or potential customers. Andreas Rettig, former managing director of the DFL, emphasizes the need for negotiation skills and transparent communication within the club.

In order to clarify the next steps in sports policy, FC Bayern should rethink how to balance his squad composition. While the challenges are great, the question remains how much the influence of Spanish-Latin American players is worth for the club and whether he can continue to serve as a foundation for sporting success. Football will always be shaped by international currents, and the right strategy could be crucial for winning the next dominance in the Bundesliga and Europe.

More information on the squad structure and the background can also be found on Transfermarkt .