Bayern Munich’s 2026 edition of the World Squad, a yearly multi week training camp for selected youngsters, was possibly the most talented edition since the start of the program in 2020. Youngsters such as Estevis Lòpez and Yousseff Mokhtari, amongst others, stood out. A standout performer that went somewhat under the radar, however, was 18-year-old goalkeeper Jae-Won Heo.
The 195cm tall goalkeeper did his job between the sticks and certainly impressed on occasion, but he truly stood out for his phenomenal
passing. He was extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet and regularly completed difficult long passes as if it was no big deal.
Unsurprisingly, the ‘keeper’s quality impressed the Bayern bosses. More surprising, perhaps, is that they were sufficiently impressed to make Heo just the third World Squad player to receive a contract at Bayern. The club’s official website has all the details:
Goalkeeper Jae-Won Heo joins the record champions’ academy on a six-month loan from South Korean first division club Jeju SK and will now be part of the U19 goalkeeping team. Jeju has been a partner club in the international Red&Gold network since September 2025 and will be FC Bayern’s opening opponent in this year’s Audi Summer Tour on Tuesday, August 4th.
Michael Wiesinger , Head of Sport and Youth Development: “Jae-Won is an exciting goalkeeping talent from Red&Gold partner club Jeju SK. He came to the campus for a trial in January, where he made a positive impression. He subsequently confirmed this in our World Squad. He will now be with us for six months and we are very excited to see how he develops here in our U19 team.”
Eighteen-year-old Jae-Won Heo joined Jeju SK’s youth academy in 2021 and has made seven appearances for South Korea’s youth national teams. He impressed at this year’s World Squad Class of ’26, including a starting spot in the final match against Bayern Munich’s U19 team. At 195 cm tall, he is now one of the tallest young goalkeepers at the academy.
Heo joins the U-19 goalkeeping team of Matthias Kösters, Luis Nadler and David Podar-Stiube. Podar-Stiube played regularly for the U-17s last season and was likely slated to be the regular starters for the U-19s this season. Bayern fans may remember him as the goalkeeper who played the first 45 minutes in the 1-2 summer 2026 preseason loss to Wehen Wiesbaden. Whether a goalkeeper will be moved on and if Heo will be able to win the starting spot off of Podar-Stiube remains to be seen.
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