Bundesliga
Who are Bayern's top 5 youngest debutants?
Wisdom Mike featured in a first competitive game for Bayern Munich in their Matchday 5 home victory over Werder Bremen, just two days after his 17th birthday. With the Bavarians fielding such a young debutant, bundesliga.com reaches into the history books to find the youngest players to have made their senior bow in a Bayern jersey, and find out where they are now.
1) Paul Wanner
Age on debut: 16 years, 15 days
Date of debut: 07.01.2022
Despite the outrageously young age at which Mike made his debut, Wanner's record remains untouched.
75 minutes into a 2-1 home defeat against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 18 of the 2021/22 campaign, the Austrian youngster - who had been regarded as one of the academy's brighest prospects at the time - was handed his debut by then-manager Julian Nagelsmann.
It's a record that Wanner - now 19 - will no doubt cherish for years to come, especially in the wake of his permanent switch to Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven over the summer.
2) Wisdom Mike
Age on debut: 17 years, two days
Date of debut: 26.09.2025
Mike may have missed the opportunity to become only the second-ever 16-year-old to have played for Bayern by just three days, but in becoming the Bavarians' second-youngest debutant, it's sure to not bother him too much.
Replacing Luis Díaz against Bremen in the game's dying embers, Mike had the opportuntity to demonstrate to the entire Allianz Arena exactly why he has made such a name for himself at Bayern's academy since joining from Gladbach aged just 13.
Incidentally, this wasn't the first time Mike had been named in a matchday squad for Bayern, having been included on the bench on Matchday 21 of the previous season, also against Werder.
Speaking after his debut, Vincent Kompany said of Mike and his other starlets: "I'm delighted that young players like Tom Bischof, Lennart Karl and Wisdom Mike are getting their chance."
3) Arijon Ibrahimović
Age on debut: 17 years, two months
Date of debut: 11.02.2023
The only player on this list aside from Mike and Karl to still be plying his trade in the Bundesliga, but for a different club, Ibrahimović's maiden outing for Bayern came back in the 2022/23 season in a comfortable 3-0 home victory against Bochum.
As luck would have it, Ibrahimović was named on the bench for the game in which Wanner made his debut, before being handed his opportunity by Nagelsmann just two games later, when he replaced former Bayern winger Leroy Sané.
The similarities with Wanner don't stop there, however, as this term he is on the books as a loanee at Heidenheim - where Wanner spent the 2024/25 season ahead of his move to the Netherlands.
So far this term, Ibrahimović has made five Bundesliga appearances, though he's yet to register a goal involvement for the Baden-Württemberg outfit.
4) Mathys Tel
Age on debut: 17 years, three months, nine days
Date of debut: 05.08.2022
Another Bayern youngster to be handed his debut by Nagelsmann, Tel got his first run-out in a 6-1 away demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 1 of the 2022/23 season, replacing Serge Gnabry in the 66th minute.
He may be down in fourth on this list, but Tel can one-up his competition for he is also Bayern's youngest ever starting debutant in the Bundesliga.
The French forward started in a 2-2 home draw with Stuttgart on Matchday 6, immedaitely seizing his opportunity by turning in an Alphonso Davies cross in the 36th minute.
After falling down the pecking order after Kompany's arrival, Tel spent the second half of last term on loan in England with Tottenham Hotspur, where he has since signed a permanent deal.
Watch: The best of Tel
5) Lennart Karl
Age on debut: 17 years, three months, 24 days
Date of debut: 15.06.2025
It seems the sky has been the limit for Karl since making his debut in Bayern's 10-0 thrashing of Auckland City in the FIFA Club World Cup over the summer; the starlet replacing Michael Olise at half-time.
Since then, Karl has made four appearances for Bayern so far this season, whilst also becoming their second-youngest ever starter when he was named in the XI to face Hoffenheim on Matchday 4.
In that same game, he assisted Harry Kane's opener, which saw him become Bayern’s youngest ever provider in the German top flight, beating a record set by Toni Kroos - which had stood for over 18 years - by 55 days.
Watch: Karl + Kane = dynamite
Speaking after the game, Karl professed: “It's fun to play with the boys every day," before adding: "Being in the starting line-up was something special for me.”
Kompany was also full of praise for his No.42, saying of Karl's assist: “The pass was perfect."
Having assumed his shirt number from its former wearer Jamal Musiala, who was handed the vacant No.10 shirt from the now departed Sané, the future looks very bright for Karl.