Tarek Buchmann: who is the Bayern Munich defender hoping to emulate Jerome Boateng?
Tarek Buchmann is just getting started, and a road to inevitable glory based upon an incredible work-rate and unstoppable drive will see Bayern Munich's hungry young defender rise to prominence sooner rather than later.
Stats correct as of 3 July 2023
Age: 18 (born 28 February 2005)
Club: Bayern Munich
Position: Centre-back
Country: Germany (1 cap for U18s)
Key stats
Bavaria-born Buchmann began his footballing journey at Augsburg before being brought into the Bayern fold in 2019 as a 14-year-old. So immediately apparent were his talents, that the central defender went straight into the record champions' U16 side.
Buchmann’s rapid rise continued and, after successful outings with the U17s, he wasn’t long in making the jump to Bayern’s U19s. A UEFA Youth League bow against Dynamo Kyiv in 2021 proved a solid test of the defender’s developing know-how and he would return to captain Bayern in the same competition last season, appearing five times during the team’s Group C campaign.
Despite several injury problems, he also featured 13 times at youth level – scoring and assisting once – on the domestic front in 2022/23.
A winner of bronze in the Fritz Walter Medal – 2005 age-group category – in 2022, Buchmann was invited by former coach Julian Nagelsmann to a winter camp with Bayern’s seniors in Qatar during the mid-season break last term. Coming on to replace Alphonso Davies in a friendly against Red Bull Salzburg, he managed to cap his first showing in the senior side by providing a goal assist for Arijon Ibrahimovic during the 4-4 draw.
After first featuring for Germany at U16 level, Buchmann quickly made the jump to the U17s. He was ever-present for Marc Meister’s side who were eventually knocked out of the 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship at the quarter-final stage by a France side that was captained by Buchmann’s Bayern teammate, Mathys Tel. The centre-back again faced France when making his Germany U18 debut last March.
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Plays a bit like: Jerome Boateng
The term ‘mini-Boateng’ is oft-heard in relation to Buchmann’s similarity in playing style to the Bayern behemoth who won it all with the Bavarian giants. Buchmann stands somewhat shorter (at 6'1") compared to his idol (6'4") but the duo’s playing styles are certainly comparable.
A calm presence on the ball, Buchmann can take the sting out of an attacking situation with a well-timed tackle and delivery out of defence while his long, diagonal passes to attacking teammates also have that Jerome Boateng feel. A superb reader of the game with excellent positional sense and solid heading ability, Buchmann has the attributes to develop in order to one day follow in multi-title winner Boateng’s footsteps.
Did you know?
On his 18th birthday, Buchmann received a special video message from his idol Boateng.
What they're saying
“It’s a big honour for me to sign by first professional contract at FC Bayern. I know what a privilege it is to play for this club. The club has always supported and promoted me in a top way. I feel great trust. At the same time, I see it as my first duty to continue working hard on myself. I want to take my chance in every training session and game in order to have a successful journey together with FC Bayern.” – Buchmann speaking after signing a professional contract at Bayern that runs until 2026.
“We’re delighted to bring a promising young player from our FC Bayern Campus in Tarek Buchmann closer to our first team. He’s developed very well in a sporting sense in recent years and is now getting the chance to take the next step with us.” - Jan-Christian Dreesen, FC Bayern CEO.
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