Tarek Buchmann makes comeback: ‘Thankful and really happy’

The result may not have been ideal as Bayern’s reserves fell to a 3-2 friendly defeat to First Vienna, but there was at least one person who could be pleased with the game. “My comeback is a huge relief and makes me really happy. It was the culmination of a long recovery process after a good 17 months out,” said Tarek Buchmann. The 19-year-old centre-back came on in the 71st minute for Steve Breitkreuz for his first taste of proper football in a long time.

“After the good integration into first-team training, I was also really looking forward to the guys in the reserves. They made it really easy for me to fit in with the team. I realised that they were just as happy as I was to be back on the pitch after such a long time,” Buchmann said after his comeback.

The Bayern youth product, who’s held as one of the most promising players in Germany and won the bronze Fritz Walter Medal in 2022, suffered muscle tears in September and November 2023, which kept him sidelined ever since. Vincent Kompany included Buchmann in the matchday squad for the first time in January’s Champions League game against Slovan Bratislava. The defender is again part of the travelling party for Wednesday’s match at Celtic. “It obviously helps when the coach played in the same position. He’s very communicative and tries to help all of us. It’s a lot of fun training under him,” the Augsburg native said back at the start of the season.

And now he’s back in action, the defender wanted to share his thanks: “I’m incredibly thankful for how caring the club has been with me during this difficult time, that they really did everything for me.” The Germany U18 international has been at Bayern since 2019 and signed a professional contract in 2023.

See how Buchmann and the first team have been preparing to face Celtic: