Who is Paul Wanner?

Data correct as of 21 November 2024

Paul Wanner
Age: 18 (born 23 December 2005)
Club: Heidenheim (on loan from Bayern Munich) 
Position: Attacking midfielder
Country: Germany (21 youth caps, seven goals)

Key stats

Born in Austria, Wanner started out playing for Ravensburg. Bayern's scouting network identified his potential and signed him for the club in July 2020 at the age of 14.

Considered too advanced for his own age group, Wanner was thrust into the U16s in his first year at the club, and was promoted to the U17s at the start of 2021/22. After posting a goal and an assist in two outings for the team, the attacker, who usually operates centrally but can also play off either wing, was promoted to the U19s. He chipped in with two goals and two assists in his first nine appearances (eight as a starter) in the U19 Bundesliga South/South-West.

Wanner’s assured displays did not go unnoticed in the Germany set-up, and he was given his U17 debut in August 2021 against Poland. Six further caps followed, before a combination of injury and illness in then Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann's first-team pool opened the door for Wanner to have a taste of life with the pros. 

On Matchday 18 of the 2021/22 campaign Wanner made history by making his senior debut as a 75th-minute substitute for Marc Roca against Gladbach. Two more cameo appearances swiftly followed that record-breaking one before the youngster was rewarded with a fresh, long-term contract at the end of January 2022.

Wanner then went on to make substitute appearances in the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League, whilst flitting between the U19s and reserves. His search for regular first-team minutes took him to Bundesliga 2's Elversberg in a season-long loan deal. He impressed in Saarland, weighing in with six goals and four assists in 28 appearances. The talented attacker, who had racked up six goals across 18 appearances for Germany's U17s, 18s and 20s, has been loaned to Heidenheim for the 2024/25 campaign - starting with a remarkable four goals in his first four competitive appearances and a strike to win the club's first-ever tie in a European competition proper in the UEFA Conference League. 

Following his fine start at the Voith-Arena, Wanner made his competitve debut for Germany's U21s against Poland on October 11 and then scored next time out against Bulgaria, showing he will be ready for the seniors very soon.

Plays a bit like: Kai Havertz

Wanner is an attacking midfielder most at home in central areas, where he can thread a pass or drag a defender out of position. As a left-footer with a lean frame, outstanding close control and technique who seems to glide effortlessly over the pitch, there is more than a little bit of former Bayer Leverkusen attacker Kai Havertz is his game.

Did you know?

Wanner was with fellow Bayern academy player Arijon Ibrahimović in Spain taking part in a Germany U17 training camp when he got the call to return to Munich and join up with the first team.

"It was a stressful trip for them," then Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann said of the teenage duo after calling them up for Bayern's squad for the meeting with Gladbach. "But they'll cope with it fine, as you'd expect from two 16-year-olds who have been asked to train with the senior team. We don't need to wrap them up in cotton wool."

What they're saying

"Paul is a very young, but exceptionally talented attacking player with enormous development potential." – Heidenheim CEO Holger Sanwald

"Paul Wanner is an outstanding talent with a lot of qualities... physically he's not yet fully developed, but he's a very quick player with an unbelievably good technique. He's left-footed, has very good ideas and believes in himself... he's definitely a player I've got my eye on that we need to support in the future." – Nagelsmann

"Paul has shown in training with the first team that he has the chance to develop in our team thanks to his talent. The fact that he has already been used in the Bundesliga at the age of 16 confirms not only his ability, but also the excellent work being done at the FC Bayern Campus." – Bayern's former sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic after Wanner signed a contract extension in January 2022