Cassiano Kiala
Cassiano Kiala was the youngest Bayern player to be called up for the FIFA Club World Cup, which took place this summer. Kiala was at Hertha Berlin's youth team before moving to Munich last year on a free transfer. At 16 years of age, he has been training frequently in the first-team setup in the past few months. The young center-back received a lot of praise from head coach Vincent Kompany, who used to be a legendary defender, for his maturity and calmness despite his age. He's already standing over 6 feet at 16, meaning he is likely to grow taller, especially with a relatively lanky frame.
Cassiano Kiala was given good chances in the first two friendlies against Olympique Lyon and Tottenham. He looks like a very intelligent player with the ball at his feet, a phenomenal ball-playing center-back. He is not scared to play progressive passes and even make progressive dribbles. The teenager has also shown great intensity in pressing, often assigned with high, one-on-one marking off the ball. There are still some glaring weaknesses in his game, such as his positioning in the defensive third. Kiala loses his man quite often, leading to a few dangerous opportunities for the opposition. He is also quite one-footed.
Nevertheless, he is only 16 years old, and there is plenty of time to figure out, especially at a position like center-back. Cassiano Kiala has every potential to become a player like Dayot Upamecano, a physical ball-playing defender who can impact the game on both ends.
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