Paul Wanner dreams of being like his favourite Bayern Munich player, Jamal Musiala.
In Bavaria they are heralding a new superstar who could lead Bayern Munich for years to come and form a deadly partnership with Jamal Musiala.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, Paul Wanner made his professional debut for FC Bayern in the second half of the Bundesliga restart fixture against Borussia Mönchengladbach when Bayern Munich were hit by a Covid-19 outbreak just days before the resumption of the Bundesliga season following the winter break.
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The attacking midfielder was substituted on for Marc Roca in the 75th minute. At just 16 years and 15 days, Wanner usurped Jamal Musiala (17 years, 115 days) as the youngest player to ever play in the Bundesliga for FC Bayern and the second-youngest Bundesliga debutant behind only Borussia Dortmund striker Youssoufa Moukoko in which Nagelsmann described as one “incredible talent”.
Paul is an outstanding talent with a lot of skill. He is still a very young player, physically he’s not yet fully developed. He is very fast with an incredibly good technique,” said Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann.
“He has a lot of good ideas and good confidence in his ability. He’s a player I have my eye on, who we have to nurture going forward.
Wanner perfect role model – Jamal Musiala
Wanner’s respect and affection for his teammate is so strong that he was worried that “The Moose” would be upset when Wanner stepped onto the pitch to break his record as the youngest debutant at the storied club. Wanner made history despite his misgivings.
One of the key aspects of Wanner’s comfort level in being thrust into first-team action was the effort that Musiala made in encouraging his fellow youngster. According to Sport Bild (as captured by Twitter account @iMiaSanMia), Wanner sees Musiala as his closest friend on the squad and Musiala was the first player to
Jamal Musiala on Paul Wanner: “Paul is a great guy and a great talent. I was very happy for his debut. It’s really cool that I’m no longer the youngest in the team. Now I can say to Paul: ‘from now on you carry the balls’ (laughs)” [@SPORTBILD] https://t.co/nxUBbFcUkf.
Who’s Paul Wanner
The rising star was born to an Austrian mom and a German father who, as a midfielder, helped captain SC Austria Lusteneau to a few of their greatest outcomes ever.
Wanner feels a robust connection to his mom’s homeland as he has taken out his Austrian citizenship in addition to his German citizenship by start.
So far he has chosen to compete for Germany making his first look for the U-17 facet in the summer time of 2021.
Bayern’s U17 coach Alexander Moj, has recognized Wanner since he was 9 and coached him for the final three years.
He not too long ago made time to share his ideas on the younger man with The Athletic. While he characterizes Wanner as “brutally ambitious”, Moj firmly locations the muse for the participant’s success in a balanced household life:
“He has a very calm family who are down to earth and never put pressure on him to be a professional or play at Bayern Munich. It was always Paul’s decision,” Moj tells The Athletic.
“He wasn’t always in the academy boarding house, which made it possible for him to connect with family and friends. It wasn’t just football all the time, and I think that helped him hugely.”
For Moj, it is Wanner’s love for a challenge that separates him from the rest.
“He is brutally ambitious,” Moj tells The Athletic. “The harder the challenge, the higher his performance — he really is someone who grows through a challenge. He needs it.”
Moj believes his confidence has grown in recent years as he has become aware of his undoubted ability.
A superb passer and dribbler for his age, Wanner’s first thought is always to keep the ball moving towards the opposition’s goal, with his speed of thought and execution marking him out as a special talent.
Though he is not physically imposing as yet, Wanner has worked hard to make himself a handful for opponents both with and without the ball, and Meister is backing him to make the changes needed to thrive in the men’s game.
There is a feeling in Germany that Wanner is exactly what the country needs in terms of a genuine playmaker.
His skillset isn’t the typical midfield general we’ve seen through the years, think Matthaus, Effenberg, Schweinsteiger and most recently Joshua Kimmich.
Wanner is a creative spark who plays the game forwards, is able to thread defence-splitting passes and thrives on one-on-one situations.
Bayern know full well they’ve got a player on their hands, and are doing everything they can to ensure he’s enjoying his football at the club.
Next summer, his youth contract expires. Although it’s perhaps inconceivable Wanner would move, he could go elsewhere for more regular game-time.
He shares the identical agent as Musiala, and Bayern are mentioned to be pulling out all of the stops to maintain him in the household.
It is anticipated that if sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidzic and firm can define a path to the professionals for him comparable to the one which Jamal Musiala has taken he’ll signal an extension.
However, it’s Bayern that seemingly have the edge, having already integrated Wanner with the seniors.
And with the skills he possesses, there’s every chance he will be leading Bayern’s attacking threats in years to come forming German duo of ‘Xavi & Iniesta’ with his compatriots Jamal Musiala.
Passing duo Xavi and Andres Iniesta is the neatest, tidiest, but also the most deadly combination in world football and have been backbone to both their Club and country success in the recent years.