UEFA Champions League is back for the Round of 16 as Bundesliga starlets are expected to pick up where they left off.
The Bundesliga has always been known as a league which gives opportunities to young talent, and provides a platform for prodigious young players to shine.
Its long-term investment in youth development has seen some of the world’s greatest talent emerge and flourish in Germany in the past until today.
It comes as no surprise that youthful footballers see their careers blossom after coming to the Bundesliga, where the youth are given more responsibility and expectations are high for them to perform well in front of passionate supporters.
Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund have all qualified to the Round of 16 and their young talent could be making a big difference to qualify for the next round.
Here are the 5 young Bundesliga stars set to impress in Champions League
Jadon Sancho
Signed for just 8 million pounds from Manchester City back in 2017, Jadon Sancho is the latest in a long line of youthful talents that Borussia Dortmund has brought in through the years, as they try to chase both domestic and Champions League glory.
The fulcrum of the Dortmund attack, any goal from the Black and Yellows inexorably involves the youthful Englishman, whether providing the assist or scoring one himself.
At just 19 years of age, Sancho is the most productive teenager in any of Europe’s top five leagues and has become an integral part of the Dortmund front three.
He is unstoppable with the ball at his feet, and against French powerhouse PSG in the round of 16, Sancho will be integral to any Dortmund success in the competition.
Erling Haaland
The Norwegian wunderkind attracted the attention of all of Europe after performing brilliantly for RB Salzburg in the group stages of the Champions League, and he continued his performance with Borussia Dortmund, a team with a strong track record of helping youth talents reach their maximum potential.
After scoring 28 goals in 22 games for the Austrian club, Haaland has continued his hot streak by scoring eight goals in his first four games for Dortmund, consolidating his status as the hottest striker in Europe.
BVB trusts young players to lead the club to trophies and the latest signing is no different, with the 6’4” youngster tasked to lead the line.
Dortmund has lacked a pure goal scorer in recent times and Haaland looks to fill this void, making the right runs at the right time and applying a true striker’s finish to the delight of fans at Signal Iduna Park.
Joshua Kimmich
Joshua Kimmich has blossomed into a complete player capable of playing multiple positions across the defense and midfield, but it is at the heart of Bayern Munich’s midfield where he is at his best.
Usually covering the most ground in his team, Kimmich is the engine room of the Bayern machine as he disrupts the opposing attack while at the same time being the top assist provider for his team for many seasons.
There is a continuing debate on whether he is best suited as a right back or as a central midfielder, but Bayern coach Hansi Flick knows that Kimmich is an asset wherever he plays.
Blessed with outstanding positional and tactical awareness and superb stamina, Kimmich is seen as the mainstay in Bayern and Germany’s squad for years to come.
Serge Gnabry
Deemed surplus to requirements at Arsenal and West Brom, Gnabry returned to the Bundesliga and saw his career promptly take off, with an impressive stint at Werder Bremen earning him a move to the Allianz Arena.
Now, the speedy 24-year-old winger has found his home, and has teamed up with the equally prolific Robert Lewandowski to tear up opposing defenses and top scoring charts.
Extremely versatile and capable of using both feet, Gnabry has been effective in playing at both flanks where his single-minded focus has sometimes been compared to another Bayern great, Arjen Robben.
With persistence and hard work, Gnabry has come a long way from being at the fringes of a struggling EPL side to a mainstay for both Bayern and Germany, truly an inspiring story.
Check out UEFA Champions League Round of 16 review between Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
Timo Werner
Scoring at least 21 goals in all competitions the last four years running, RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner has become one of the hottest strikers in world football today.
While consistently vying for the title of Bundesliga top scorer, the speedy youngster from Stuttgart has broken numerous records, among them the youngest player to reach 200 appearances in the Bundesliga.
Coupling his speed with deadly finishing and intelligent play, Werner has been the top scorer of all of RB Leipzig’s Bundesliga campaigns.
The 23-year-old has certainly thrived under the guidance of another youthful coach in Julian Nagelsmann at Leipzig, where they hope to win to become Deutcher Meister for the first time in their history as well as progressing against Spurs in the Champions League.
Check out Timo Werner story so far in Bundesliga.