Bundesliga
Having featured for Hoffenheim since the age of 16, Tom Bischof has impressed in Germany's top flight in 2024/25 and earned a big move to Bayern Munich. bundesliga.com has the lowdown on the rising midfield star who is set to feature in Bayern's FIFA Club World Cup campaign...
Data correct as of 21 January 2025
Age: 19 (born 28 June 2005)
Club: Hoffenheim
Position: Midfielder
Country: Germany (37 youth caps, 16 goals)
Key stats
Bischof demonstated his creative prowess with 21 goals and 16 assists for Hoffenheim's U17, U19 and reserves whilst making history as the club's youngest Bundesliga debutant and third-youngest of any team, aged 16 years and 264 days, in March 2022. The Germany youth international had featured in 25 Bundesliga games by the end of the 2023/24 campaign, before eventually establishing himself in the senior side in the early part of 2024/25. He scored his first Bundesliga goal against RB Leipzig - a superb free-kick past Péter Gulácsi - and notched another fine strike as Hoffenheim drew with Freiburg.
Watch: Bischof sinks free-kick as Hoffenheim beat Leipzig 4-3
He has emerged as a key player for Hoffenheim this season, starting every league game between Matchday 4 and 18, having only been in the starting XI four times before in his career and none since October 2023. Used as a central midfielder and also out wide on the right, he's contirubted two assists as well this term, taking his Bundesliga career total to five goals and four assists in 41 games. Bischof has combined attacking output (45 passes to a shot and 51 attempts himself) with midfield grit, having won 52 percent of his duels, while also committing a team-high 43 fouls.
The faith placed in his talent at club level is reflected in Bischof's 30-plus appearances for Germany at U16, U17, U18, U19 and U20 level. He was even awarded the prestigious U19 Fritz Walter gold medal in October 2024 as his country's best player in his age group. With his star firmly in the ascendancy in the first half of the 2024/25 season, Bayern swooped to announce in January 2025 that Bischof would join them from the start of the 2025/26 season on a free transfer.
Furthermore, keen to start working with their newest starlet as early as possible, Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl confirmed Bischof will be signed ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup in the summer and thus be able to represent the Rekordmeister at the tournament, announcing: "Because we have a new transfer window between 1 and 10 June, we will be able to register Tom Bischof. He will be there."
Plays a bit like: Leon Goretzka
Bischof's bustling box-to-box style coupled with his powerful striking ability have led to comparisons with his new Bayern teammate Goretzka. While perhaps not packing the same kind of physicality as Goretzka, the 6'0'' Hoffenheim dynamo does possess great comfort on the ball and the vision to operate as a playmaker.
Did you know?
Bischof has been among a group of Hoffenheim players that are avid fans of the card game Wizard. His celebration after scoring against Freiburg involved pointing at a sticker with the letter 'Z' on the arm of then team-mate Jacob Bruun Larsen, with Bischof explaining after the game on Hoffenheim's Instagram channel that the Z stands for 'Zauberer' or 'wizard', which is the most powerful card available in the game.
What they're saying
"Tom is one of Germany's best young players. He's already gained a lot of experience at professional level at the age of 19. Tom is the ideal fit to our approach as a midfielder confident on the ball. We're delighted he's decided to take the next step at Bayern. Tom has all it takes to establish himself at the highest level." - Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund
“Because we have a new transfer window between 1 and 10 June, we will be able to register Tom Bischof. He will be there. And if you talk to people about transfers - more about incoming transfers than outgoing transfers - and it's possible, and you have the chance to make it happen, then it would be great to have that player for the Club World Cup.” – Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl
"He has good parents and good advisors behind him who take care of the outside world so he can concentrate on football. He is good for us because he plays football with a sense of freedom, doesn't think too much about it and doesn't let himself get upset." - Hoffenheim coach Christian Ilzer