Paul Wanner may be making waves out at FC Heidenheim in the Bundesliga right now, but that talent was honed and developed right at Bayern Munich’s FC Bayern Campus from the age of 12. What was that process like? And who was the most important mentor at the Campus, guiding a shy child to stardom?
“Alex Moj,” Wanner answers, via Sky Sports. “He was my coach for the U14s and then also for the U16s. He was one of the reasons why I moved to Bayern and he supported me very well over the years. I am still in contact with him today. He was the person who had the biggest influence on me during my time on campus.”
But, less than four years after his arrival at the Campus, it was time for the youngster to make his debut, coming on against Borussia Mönchengladbach. What was that like?
“I’ll never forget that. It happened so quickly and then suddenly you’re playing a professional game. It was a really great feeling. It makes me proud and happy when I look back on it.”
Moj would no longer have the proximity to assist the U-21 Germany international, so who among the first team did take Wanner under their wing? “Jamal [Musiala] definitely, because he also came from the campus to the pros and knew the situation as a young player. Josh (Kimmich) also helped me and spoke to me after training sessions. Or Thomas Müller (laughs).”
Perhaps sensing a typical Müller story, the interviewer asked why talking about the Bayern legend made him laugh: “Because he’s a cool guy. He likes to talk. And he helped me a lot. We’re still in touch from time to time.”
How very typical of Müller. Another aspect that typifies Müller is his identification with Bayern, one arguably no other homegrown player has been able to match. Is that kind of connection, taking the same path Müller went, one Wanner wants as well? Wanner refuses to bite at the bait, though:
“I’m not thinking about that yet. I’m at Heidenheim this season and that’s my focus. I want to develop further here, play as many games as possible with Heidenheim and then at the end of the season we’ll see how it goes.”
The interviewer persists with his line of questioning, however, name dropping Bayer Leverkusen and Ballsport Leipzig as potential transfer candidates. Wanner’s answer is short and sweet: “You notice it every now and then, but on the whole I try to ignore it and just do my thing.”
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