Bayern star makes waves with bold ‘eggs’ claim, Kahn salutes | OneFootball

More than 20 years ago, Oliver Kahn made headlines with his legendary “balls” quote. Now a young Bayern player is giving fans déjà vu: Tom Bischof. The 20-year-old shows courage not only on the pitch but also in front of the microphone. The midfielder wants to take on responsibility at a young age—and makes it clear he doesn’t want to play a supporting role for FC Bayern or the DFB.

Bischof’s path to the national team was anything but ordinary. After his last appearance for Germany’s U20s in October 2024, he was called straight into the senior squad by head coach Julian Nagelsmann. The left-footer then made his debut for the national team in June 2025. Skipping the U21 caused a stir at the time—now Bischof has returned and made his debut for Antonio di Salvo’s side on Friday evening in the 2-3 loss to Greece.

Not only that: the 20-year-old immediately wore the captain’s armband and led the U21s on the pitch for 90 minutes. A strong sign of trust—and another step on his way to becoming a leader.

“You need to have balls to play forward!”

Photo: IMAGO/DeFodi Images

After the defeat against Greece, Bischof was anything but timid. The Bayern youngster didn’t mince words: “We have to be switched on from the first minute and have the balls to play forward!” His words didn’t coincidentally recall Oliver Kahn—they reflected his mentality.

This attitude will likely be welcomed on Säbener Straße. At FC Bayern, the sporting leadership is convinced Bischof can develop into a key player in the long term. Internally, the former Hoffenheim player is already considered one of the most exciting talents in Vincent Kompany’s team. But to hold your own in the star-studded squad of Germany’s record champions, you need more than technical quality—you need character.

And that’s exactly what Bischof brings. The 20-year-old explained openly in a ran interview how he has matured under coach Vincent Kompany: “The first three weeks were really crazy. He basically said something to me about every action. I almost thought: please, that’s enough! I was annoyed, but I have to say that in hindsight it helps me enormously.”

Kompany’s eye for detail has clearly left a lasting impression on the youngster. “In my actions I’m constantly thinking of his words: track back, always stay connected! He drilled that into my head. And now it’ll stay there forever.”

Bischof embodies Bayern’s new generation

Tom Bischof is emblematic of the new path FC Bayern has taken under Vincent Kompany: young, bold, development-focused. With his clear communication, football intelligence, and ambition, the 20-year-old embodies exactly the qualities the club wants to see.

In Munich, they know that talents like Bischof aren’t ones to wait around—they represent the future. His confident showing with the U21s should further strengthen the trust in him—both at the DFB and at the record champions.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.