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On Tuesday, the Bavarians face Real Madrid. Once again it becomes clear: few Champions League favourites are as strong on the wing as the German giants.
Older football fans may still remember the Munich duo with the special name “Robbery”. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry were Bayern’s wingers in a period when the club dominated not only the Bundesliga, but also Europe. In 2013, with Dutchman Robben and Frenchman Ribéry, the Bavarians won the Champions League. What they achieved together was impressive.
Ribéry was deeply disappointed that he was not named the best player in the world that year. Robben, who scored the decisive goal in the final against Borussia Dortmund, was an equal partner on the right wing. They were also called “Rib and Rob”, a play on words that showed that they had become part of the shared culture of the club.
A dedication bordering on self-sacrifice
Bayern Munich and the wingers: this is a separate topic. This is also due to the fact that the club is used to an extremely high level in this position. Kingsley Coman, who has left for Saudi Arabia, was an excellent winger; he secured victory in the Champions League in 2020 with his goal. Serge Gnabry also has special qualities on the wing, although he currently plays more in the center.
The fact that the transfer of Leroy Sané was a misunderstanding was only understood by Bayern after a few costly years. However, the club easily gets over this, because of all the teams competing in the Champions League, few are as rich in wings as the Bavarians. Díaz and Olise have the quality to become legends, even if their names do not form an attractive play on words.
Frenchman Michael Oliseh is often said to be the best winger in Europe at the moment. Since moving to Munich from Crystal Palace in 2024, he has scored 36 goals in 95 games and, more importantly, provided 51 assists. Given his form and consistency – missing just two games in two years – it is often forgotten how well Luis Díaz has adapted.
Bayern paid €73 million for the Colombian from Liverpool. An expensive transfer, but one that turned out to be high quality for a reasonable price. His extraordinary commitment is reflected in 39 games with 22 goals and 18 assists – including perhaps the most spectacular goal of the season: against Union Berlin, he slipped near the goal line, won the ball back and fired it from an almost impossible angle under the crossbar.
Not only admirers, but also interested clubs
Luis Díaz is 29 years old. Bayern can be relatively certain that he will stay for the rest of his career at the highest level. Michael Oliseh's case is different. At 24, he has a few more years at the top level and his play has attracted not only admirers but also interested clubs.
It was recently reported that Real Madrid are willing to pay 165 million euros for the Frenchman; Bayern had already signed him for 50 million euros from the Premier League. Even higher figures are being mentioned in England: Liverpool could offer almost 200 million euros.
These sums no longer seem as unimaginable as they once did. Last year, Liverpool paid €150m for Florian Wirtz, while Norwegian Alexander Isak cost a similar sum. In this context, an even higher offer for Olise is not impossible, especially given his Premier League experience and dual Franco-British citizenship. Liverpool's poor season increases the need for reinforcements.
However, Bayern are in a strong position. Oliseh has no release clause and the club has previously shown a determination to keep key players, such as Franck Ribéry. Uli Hoeness also reacted to the Liverpool rumours, stressing that Bayern have no interest in helping their rivals improve.
In the end, according to him, it's not about adding 200 million euros to the bank, but about providing spectacular football for the fans. That's exactly what Díaz and Olise represent.
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