Paul Wanner makes history as Bayern Munich’s youngest-ever player
Paul Wanner wrote his name in the Bayern Munich record books on Friday evening after becoming the club’s youngest ever player to feature in the Bundesliga.
Aged just 16 years and 15 days old – the left-footer celebrated his birthday on 23 December 2021 – Wanner came off the bench to replace Marc Roca in the 75th minute of Bayern’s Matchday 18 encounter at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
He had seven touches of the ball in his 15 minutes on the pitch, completing 60 per cent of his passes and winning 40 per cent of all his duels, while covering 1.49 miles (2.4 kilometres) and reaching a top speed of 17.95 mph (28.9 kmh).
And while it was a momentous occasion for the youngster, who joined sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic’s 17-year-old nephew Lucas Copado in making his debut for the senior side, the match ultimately ended in a 2-1 defeat for Julian Nagelsmann’s team.
Nobody else has ever appeared for the record German champions in a competitive game at 16, while he shaved over a year off the previous record held by Jamal Musiala, who was 17 years and 115 days old when he was given his Bundesliga baptism against Freiburg on Matchday 33 of the 2019/20 campaign.
Wanner is now the second-youngest player ever to grace the Bundesliga. Only Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko was younger when making his top-flight debut, having done so aged 16 years and one day when he came off the bench against Hertha Berlin in November 2020.
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