UCL: The fairytale story of rejects turned heroes at Bayern Munich

On Sunday, August 24, Bayern Munich clinched their sixth UEFA Champions League crown following a one-nil victory over Ligue 1 giants, Paris Saint Germain. The result, by any stretch of the imagination, did not come as a surprise as the bookmakers had backed the Bavarian outfit all the way to the finals.

However, for Dieter-Hans Flick’s men, the journey to a treble winning season hasn’t exactly been a roller coaster ride. Only a few months ago the Bundesliga giants were languishing in fourth position, with strings of poor performances which signaled the end for out-gone manager, Niko Kovac.

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Again, there is a certain peculiarity about this group of players who on Sunday in Lisbon, etched their names in gold; a certain peculiarity which makes Flick’s accomplishment occasion itself like a trickster pulling a rabbit out of a hat. A cursory look at the players who swept aside the competition so effortlessly will reveal a bunch of players who had been deemed misfits and surplus to requirements elsewhere.

The 2020 UEFA Champions League has come and gone; and it has been a unique one on different levels, particularly with regard to the creative solution adopted by the premier football governing body in Europe to see out the remaining fixtures. While the euphoria and excitement continues to blaze through the streets of Bavaria, DailyTimes takes a look at the rejects who became heroes in Lisbon on Sunday.

(1) Philippe Coutinho: Just less than three years ago Phillippe Coutinho had reached the peak of his career. The little Brazilian had endeared himself to the Anfield faithful with superlative performances which attracted interests from top European heavyweights. In 2018, Coutinho put pen to paper in a high profile deal which saw him make a sensational move to Catalunya, where he would find life difficult with the Camp Nou outfit. He became surplus to immediate requirement for Ernesto Valverde’s team, prompting a loan deal to Bayern Munich; suffice it to say that the Brazilian has enjoyed a great renaissance with Flick’s men, making a late cameo to apply the dagger to the heart with a quickfire brace against his parent club in the 8-2 trashing of Barcelona in the UCL quarter-finals.

(2) Serge Gnabry: Arsene Wenger, throughout his time at Arsenal had built a reputation for talent discovery and bringing prodigious talents through the ranks, even though not many remember this electrifying winger during his time at North London. Serge Gnabry, for the better part of his Arsenal career, had been on the fringes before making the move to Hoffenheim where he made some eye-catching performances that made Bayern Munich come knocking. Having not made use of Gnabry’s talent nor cashed in on his move to Germany, the North Londoners will definitely be gnashing their teeth over this monumental loss.

(3) Ivan Perisic: Ivan Perisic had been a crucial part of the erst-while Internazionale team before the appointment of Antonio Conte which saw the Croatian winger forced out on loan to Bayern Munich. Conte, upon arrival had been very terse about the players he intended to build his team around. 12 months later it’s a different story altogether. The Croatian is now a Champions League winner, pitching in significant contributions in the build up to the final in Lisbon.

(4) Kingsley Coman: There is a bit of an irony surrounding the career of Kingsley Coman, especially if one is to put the culmination of events of August 23 into context. Kingsley Coman was born in Paris, he started his football career with US Senart-Moissy in 2002 before moving to Paris Saint Germain in 2004. Coman spent 10 years in PSG, but was never given a seat at the table. The 24-year-old joined Juventus in 2014, where he was again placed on the fringes before making a two-year loan move to Bayern Munich, where he has eventually grown to become an integral part of Flick’s star-studded attacking front-line. For PSG, it will be a nightmare of dramatic proportions to have a player who was tossed out of the team come back to deal the blow that pried away a trophy they’ve been looking to win ever since the Qatari take-over.