Cassiano Kiala: Who is the centre-back who became Bayern Munich's second-youngest player ever?
Teenage Bayern Munich centre-back Cassiano Kiala has signed a long-term contract extension with the record Bundesliga champions. We give you the lowdown on a defensive talent who has his sights set on establishing himself in the first team at the Allianz Arena.
Age: 17 (born 11 January 2009)
Club: Bayern Munich
Position: Centre-back
Country: Germany (18 youth caps)
Stats correct as of 20 August 2026
Key stats
Kiala has only been with Bayern for two years, having joined from Hertha Berlin in 2024. He immediately became an important part of the U17 side, making 21 appearances during the 2024/25 campaign as well as playing in all three matches of the Bundesliga finals tournament, where Bayern lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the last four.
Last summer, he was named in Vincent Kompany's squad for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. Kiala was an unused substitute in three of Bayern's five games, but he did not have long to wait for his first-team debut. On 21 December 2025, the defender made his Bundesliga bow when he came off the bench for the final few minutes of a 4-0 win over Heidenheim at the Voith-Arena.
At international level, Kiala has 18 youth caps - one for the Germany U15s, 11 for the U16s and six for the U17s. He made his debut for the latter in a 2-0 win over Venezuela in September last year, and has since worn the captain's armband on two occasions.
Plays a bit like: Dayot Upamecano
Strong, fast and athletic, Kiala is a similar profile to Bayern and France centre-back Upamecano, who formed a formidable partnership with Jonathan Tah at the heart of the Bavarians' defence last season.
Like Upamecano, Kiala thrives as part of a high defensive line and in counter-pressing situations.
Did you know?
Kiala became the second-youngest Bayern player of all time when he appeared off the bench against Heidenheim last season. Paul Wanner holds the record, having featured against Borussia Mönchengladbach in January 2022 at the age of just 16 years and 15 days old.
What they're saying...
"We have high hopes for Cassiano and want to gradually integrate him into our first team. He has already taken on responsibility as captain of Germany U17s and has everything it takes to carve out a career at Bayern. - Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund
"In Cassiano, we've managed to convince a talented youngster that Bayern is the right place to develop. He has received excellent coaching at his previous club and we have high hopes for the future." - Halil Altıntop, former director of the Bayern Campus
