Jérôme Boateng was a principal figure in the Bayern Munich backline for several years. The German international joined Bayern Munich in 2011, and spent the next ten years winning virtually every single trophy with the Bavarians.
The centre-back was known for his multiple skill sets. His physical presence and aerial abilities, along with a phenomenal pace for a centre-back were noteworthy, but his passing range was simply otherworldly. He could simply build major attacking chances from the backline,
and his game intelligence and awareness was the icing on the cake. An extremely clean tackler with solid ball control, he has constantly performed well. He has delivered not just as a CB but also as a full-back, per the manager’s requirements.
However, as is the case with every player, Boateng declined with age. Beyond a point he had lost his pace and physicality, and left Bayern in 2021 after his contract was not renewed. He moved to Lyon, but struggled due to his poor performance and inability to maintain a cordial relationship with his teammates and coaches.
Certainly, his legal issues didn’t help matters either. The assault allegations on him, from his former partner put him in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons and he received far too much negative attention.
Yet, with respect for his service to the club, Bayern, backed by then-manager Thomas Tuchel, invited him to train in October 2023, following a major injury crisis, involving Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-Jae, and Matthijs de Ligt. In an interview with Sport 1 journalist Stefan Kumberger (via @iMiaSanMia), Boateng revealed that he was close to returning to the team full-time at this point.
“I had been training with the club for about a week, and the coach [Thomas Tuchel] told me that I had impressed him. He would have liked to include me in the squad. I had performed well in the fitness tests. So they could see that I was fit enough. At the time, Bayern had a lot of injuries. They were further in their recovery than expected,” he said, explaining the primary reason he did not join the team.
“My personal life and the court case certainly played a role. That’s life. It didn’t work out. It’s not a big deal, but it was a pity, of course. It would have been nice to return,” he said, ruminating over what could have been.
It is noteworthy that Bayern would have been subject to major backlash from fans and even internally — Boateng was a controversial figure by all standards and the management was virtually under no circumstance to invite him back. Yet, out of respect, they allowed him to continue training.
Besides the clear issues with bringing him back, do you think Boateng as a player could have handled playing at that point considering he was already declining? Let us know in the comments!
This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show:
- Did Bayern Munich make the right decision in keeping Serge Gnabry and Leon Goretzka? What about Kim Min-jae? Who might still go? We might know.
- Bavarian Football Works is still migrating…trust us, we are waiting to fire away.
- Tarek Buchmann’s rumored move to 1. FC Nürnberg is now official -let’s talk about the details and what it means for his future.
- Thomas Müller is still rocking his Bayern Munich kit and training with the team, but don’t get your hopes up.
- The Bayern Munich big wigs had a secret meeting and Bild has the details. You might not like what you hear!
