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Talents Calendar
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“This summer, we decided to give Wisdom Mike, Lennart Karl, and Cassiano Kiala a chance in the first team,” Bayern Munich director of sport Max Eberl said in October when asked about his club’s squad planning following the summer transfer window. Promoting talent from the academy is now a big part of Bayern’s strategy. That hasn’t always been the case at the Säbener Straße. Last summer, the club opted to keep the squad slim to give more talent a chance to play. Karl is now one of the big beneficiaries of that new policy. Kiala is still waiting for his opportunity, even though he certainly has the talent.
In 2024, when he was still only 16, he joined the Bayern-Campus from Hertha Berlin’s youth academy. Since then, he has become a regular in Bayern’s first team squad, participating in training sessions with the likes of Harry Kane. At the FIFA Club World Cup last summer, Kiala was part of the squad, and he has made the bench for ten Bundesliga games. On Sunday against Heidenheim (4-0), Kiala finally made his league debut, becoming the second-youngest player in Bayern Munich's Bundesliga history. A record that highlights that there aren't many bigger talents playing in his position in Germany.
“When we signed him, Cassiano was already considered one of the top talents in his age group, and since then, he has developed even further,” head of the Bayern-Campus Markus Weinzierl said to Transfermarkt. “We have a clear plan for him. He has been training with the first team over the last few months while playing for the reserve side or the U19 in the Youth League.” Kiala has played two games in the Regionalliga Bayern (fourth division), four games in the U19-Nachwuchsliga, and five games in the Youth League.
Kiala has also featured in the German youth national teams and has been the U17 captain since September. Although at 186cm he isn’t a physically imposing defender, Kiala knows how to use his body well. He is quick, agile, and has good playmaking skills. “He is a great boy, very hard working and focused to fulfill his dream of playing professionally,” Weinzierl added.
Kiala overshadowed by Karl and Mike at Bayern Munich
Even before his first game, the spotlight is already on Kiala at Bayern Munich. The club bosses often mention Kiala when they speak about Karl and Mike. “It isn’t possible to have top players in every area of the squad and then also four or five talents,” Eberl said. “That means when it matters, the more experienced players will get their time rather than talents. As a result, we focused on Lennart Karl, Wisdom Mike, who are 17, and 16-year-old Cassiano Kiala, as they have, in our opinion, the biggest potential to develop.”
Karl ahead of Stiller The most valuable players developed by Bayern Zur Statistik With that in mind, it isn’t surprising that Kiala has already attracted the interest from other clubs. Earlier in December, English media reported that Kiala’s father had been to London to meet with representatives from Chelsea and Manchester City. Brexit means players can’t move to England before they turn 18, but those contacts could still be necessary for Kiala’s future.
The big agencies have also gotten involved. Currently, Kiala doesn’t have an agent, but that could change soon. Jorge Mendes and his agency Gestifute, which also represent Lamine Yamal, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Karim Adeyemi is interested in representing Kiala. According to reports, the 59-year-old super-agent was at the Campus to watch the Youth League game against Sporting.
Bayern Munich are certainly prepared to deal with the race to sign Kiala. According to transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano, Bayern Munich have held talks to sign Kiala to a new contract until 2027. That would give the Rekordmeister control over one of their most important assets. The club certainly hopes that Kiala gets going in a similar way in 2026, as Karl did in 2025.
From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2008 and 2009. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.
