Bayern Munich has long been the dominant force in German football. But their success is certainly no accident. Over the years, the Bavarians have repeatedly deployed a calculated strategy of poaching top players from rival Bundesliga teams, an approach that most other teams in Europe have not followed.
Most English Premier League sides look abroad for their new signings, as do both Real Madrid and Barcelona. Bayern, though, have taken advantage of their huge funding deficit to repeatedly raid their biggest rivals in a bid to bolster their own ranks while destabilizing potential competitors. The next in line? Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern Sign Jonathan Tah
Die Werkself shocked the world last year when they ripped the Meisterschale away from Bayern, winning the Bundesliga without losing a single game. A few weeks ago, the Bavarians managed to reclaim the crown, but unsatisfied with that, they have also stolen Leverkusen's best defender, Jonathan Tah. The German international was set to arrive on June 30th on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at the BayArena, before Munich offered a paltry €800k to complete the deal in time for the Club World Cup.
The addition has prompted online betting sites to slash odds on Bayern winning the league once again next season, while lengthening odds on the 2024 champions returning to the summit. The latest odds from the popular Bovada site now make the Bavarians a mightily short -350 favorite to win the Bundesliga in 2026, while Leverkusen are now all the way out at +750. But Die Werkself aren't the only side to have their top stars poached in recent years.
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund has long been considered Bayern’s fiercest domestic rival. Under Jürgen Klopp in the early 2010s, BVB built a squad capable of challenging the dominance in Bavaria, winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012 with a young and hungry team that developed into a squad of superstars. However, Bayern did not allow the momentum to last.
Mario Götze was lured to the Allianz Arena in 2013, with Bayern announcing the move just days before the 2013 UEFA Champions League final between the two teams. The transfer deeply unsettled Dortmund fans, especially since Götze was an academy product who had been instrumental to their success. Munich went on to win that European final thanks to Arjen Robben's last-gasp winner at Wembley, and things were about to get far worse.
The following year, Bayern snapped up Robert Lewandowski, arguably Europe’s most prolific striker at the time. If that wasn't bad enough, Die Schwarzgelben didn't even receive a transfer fee for their prized asset, with the Pole moving on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract. And just to rub additional salt into the wounds, two years later, Mats Hummels, initially a Bayern academy graduate, returned to Munich after years of captaining Dortmund’s backline.
The reaction among the Borussia Dortmund faithful was explosive. These transfers were not just seen as professional moves; they were viewed as attempts by Bayern to systematically dismantle Dortmund’s dream. And ultimately, the tactic worked. The Bavarians won 11 titles in a row between 2013 and 2023, while BVB are yet to taste Bundesliga glory since 2012.
Schalke 04
Schalke 04 has a well-earned reputation for nurturing young talent, but their inability to hold on to their best players has often worked against them. Nowhere was this more apparent than in their dealings with Bayern.
Back in 2011, Manuel Neuer had emerged as one of Europe’s finest shot-stoppers. However, rather than continuing in Gelsenkirchen after a second-place Bundesliga finish and a first-ever Champions League semifinal, he chose to join Bayern. Losing such a key figure was a bitter pill for Schalke to swallow, and they were immediately far weaker, while Neuer would develop into the best keeper in the world at the Allianz Arena.
The pattern repeated years later when Bayern signed Leon Goretzka, Schalke’s midfield maestro and talisman. As they had done with Lewandowski years prior, they snapped up the German on a free transfer. However, unlike Dortmund, Schalke's financial position was somewhat more precarious, and the hole from the transfer funds they missed out on for their main man is still felt to this day.
By 2020, Alexander Nübel had emerged as Neuer’s much-hyped successor. Rather than continuing as Schalke's number one, though, he also left to join Bayern, becoming the second choice behind Germany's number one. Nübel’s career in Munich predictably stagnated due to limited opportunities, but the damage to Schalke was already done.
Following those high profile exits, Die Königsblauen crumbled. One year on from Nübel's departure, Schalke were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, where they still remain today.
Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim is one of the Bundesliga’s true success stories, having risen from obscurity to regularly competing for European spots under the guidance of forward-thinking managers like Julian Nagelsmann. But just as they were beginning to become a genuine contender, Bayern struck.
The first to depart was giant defender Niklas Süle. The 21-year-old had emerged to become one of the best defenders in Germany, but he made the jump to Bayern in the summer of 2017, and it wouldn't be long before two of his teammates joined him. Next, versatile midfielder and captain Sebastian Rudy headed south, and he did so on a free transfer. Six months later, Sandro Wagner also made the move following a goal-laden run throughout the first half of the 2017/18 season.
Much like Schalke, Hoffenheim has struggled to recover. While they qualified for the Champions League for the second straight year in 2018, they haven't dined at the most elite dining table in European football since. In fact, they have begun flirting with relegation, and they avoided the trap door by just three points last season.