Former German national team player Beck reveals: Bayern wanted to sign me | OneFootball

Many years after the end of his Bundesliga career, Andreas Beck has revealed an interesting transfer secret. The former national team player disclosed that during his time at TSG Hoffenheim, he was on FC Bayern’s wish list. However, a move to Munich never materialized.

Transfers that almost happened often don’t make headlines until years later. This was also the case with Andreas Beck. The former German national team player has now revealed that FC Bayern had him on their radar during his most successful period at TSG Hoffenheim.

Between 2008 and 2015, Beck was one of the defining figures of the Kraichgau-based club. As a dynamic right-back, he played a key role in Hoffenheim’s rapid rise and even made the leap to the German national team.

Bayern showed interest in Beck

In an interview with Transfermarkt, the 39-year-old looked back on his career and revealed that there were several high-profile suitors.

“I always wanted to take the next step with Hoffenheim. Perhaps that decision also prevented me from getting more playing time on the national team, because I simply wasn’t playing for a top international club,” Beck explained in retrospect.

Of particular interest from Bayern’s perspective: The German record champions were also interested in the full-back at the time. “There were some vague inquiries from Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Things got really concrete with Juventus Turin—they were desperate to sign me. But Dietmar Hopp immediately said no, and that was the end of that,” Beck reported.

Bayern was looking for alternatives to Lahm

The former pro left open exactly when the Munich club was interested in Beck.

However, the timing of the statement fits very well with the period around 2009 and 2010. At the time, FC Bayern had a world-class right-back in Philipp Lahm, but the depth behind him was significantly thinner.

At the time, Beck was considered one of the best German fullbacks in the Bundesliga. His tremendous work rate, dynamism, and reliability also made him an attractive prospect for national team coach Joachim Löw.

In total, the defender made nine international appearances for Germany.

While interest from Munich apparently never went beyond casual inquiries, Juventus Turin became much more concrete.

According to Beck, the Italians were determined to sign the defender. However, Hoffenheim owner Dietmar Hopp stood in the way and made it clear early on that a sale was out of the question.

That quickly put an end to the matter.