Back in 2023, Bayern Munich were dealing with a severe injury crisis and the club’s decision to go into the season with just three senior center-backs was heavily criticized. The board realized reinforcements were needed, but had to pick the right player. They eventually settled on Eric Dier and he was great, but it could have been so much better…
If you believe the report from Philipp Kessler, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, Bayern considered signing former defender Dante, treble winner with Bayern in 2013, before getting Dier:
Back in January when Eric Dier was signed, Bayern had briefly discussed bringing back Dante to the club for six months
There are two possibilities here: Either the Bayern bosses read BFW or they copied from Pep Guardiola’s handbook again. Regardless, his would have been an interesting signing, as he would have added to his two short but extremely eventful years, including that treble in 2013 and that famous quote by Guardiola, to his time at Bayern, especially considering his advanced age. Yes, Dante is 40-years-old now (his 41st birthday is in less than a month away) and he’s older than Philipp Lahm who has been retired from football for seven years now, but he is playing in a Top 5 league and competing in European tournaments.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Manuel Neuer, eat your hearts out.
Of course, Bayern went with Dier and he became a crucial part of Bayern Munich’s run to the Champions League semifinals. But what could have been if Bayern had gone with Dante? We will never know…
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on the mega-matchup between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this weekend? Awesome, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show where we break it all down! You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
