5 forgotten Bayern Munich academy graduates who became cult heroes elsewhere
Bayern Munich have produced plenty of world-class players over the years, although not all of them make the grade in Bavaria.
For every Toni Kroos or Thomas Muller, there are countless examples of other Bayern academy graduates who forge a career for themselves elsewhere.
We’ve looked through the players Bayern have produced in the past and have found five of them who became cult heroes elsewhere.
Emre Can
Despite his success across Europe, Can only played a handful of matches for Bayern before being bundled off to Bayer Leverkusen in 2013.
A successful spell at Liverpool and a less successful spell with Juventus later and he’s now into his sixth season at Borussia Dortmund, where he’s now club captain.
Somehow only just 30, the midfielder caught the eye in their surprise run to the Champions League final last term, but featured on the losing side once again.
Dortmund aren’t thriving right now, but Can has more than proven himself at the Westfalenstadion and his previous clubs.
Mats Hummels
Hummels might have made his name as a pro with Bayern’s domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund, but he started off in the Bayern youth ranks, and even made two senior appearances, before moving to Dortmund in 2008.
After eight and a half seasons and two league titles with BVB, he moved back to Bayern, where he won three more league titles, before moving to Dortmund again in 2019.
Karim Adeyemi
Adeyemi played for Bayern when he was knee-high to a grasshopper but had to leave because of what the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung refers to as “a lack of discipline”, whatever that might mean.
Anyway, leaving worked out pretty well. After coming up through the ranks at smaller Munich club Unterhaching, he left for Red Bull Salzburg aged 16 in 2018.
That same year, he won the Fritz Walter Gold Medal, which is awarded to the best Under-17 player in Germany and had previously been won by Leon Goretzka, Timo Werner and Mario Gotze.
Now at Borussia Dortmund, who signed the striker after he shone at Red Bull Salzburg, Adeyemi has shown flashes of potential and is still young enough to blossom into a fine player.
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Malik Tillman
After spending last season on loan with PSV the Dutch club activated their option to sign Tillman on a permanent basis.
Given he’s already familiar with the club, it’s no surprise that the USA international has got off to a flying start this season.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has already scored seven league goals and he’s currently averaging a goal contribution every 168 minutes in the Eredivisie.
Angelo Stiller
Stiller made a handful of appearances for Bayern during the 2020-21 season – two in the Champions League and one in the German Cup to be precise – but the absence of fans means these personal landmarks went almost unnoticed.
The midfielder then moved to Hoffenheim, before joining Stuttgart and proving integral to their impressive, second-place finish in the 2023-24 Bundesliga with his performances from the base of their midfield.
The 23-year-old passes the ball with conviction and progresses the game with his high volume of work in the opposition half and towards the final third.
Stiller has also won his first caps for Germany during their 2024-25 Nations League campaign. Definitely one to keep your eye on.