Is Klara Bühl the best player in the world?

The Bayern Munich winger has 26 goal contributions in 19 games this season and is making a compelling case

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Nineteen assists in a season is a good return to make a player one of the best in the world. Nineteen assists in December, however, is almost unheard of. That’s exactly what Bayern Munich’s Klara Bühl is doing this season.

The 25-year-old winger is leading the charts for assists in the Frauen Bundesliga and in the Uefa Women’s Champions League. She has 26 goal contributions in 19 games across the two competitions. In fact, this is the first time in her career that she is averaging over one goal contribution per game in a season. The German international has already matched her personal best tally of assists in the league and we are only midway through the season.

She has been sensational every time she has stepped on the pitch, being at the heart of multiple inspired performances for club and country – especially in big games. Bühl provided the assists for all three second-half goals in a sensational comeback against defending champions Arsenal in the UWCL.

Background

Despite being just 25 years old, Bühl is already a veteran in the scene. After picking up the sport watching her brother, she honed her skills at SpVgg Untermünstertal. Playing in the small spaces alongside boys allowed her to develop her two-footedness, close control and physicality.

She spent some of her youth years at Freiburg, joining them as a 12-year-old in 2013. After winning the U17 European Championship in 2016, she was promoted to the senior side. Her first goals in the league came in the form of a hat-trick against FC Cologne at 16. In her final season at the club, she finished the league with 11 goals as an 18-year-old for Freiburg and caught the attention of big clubs in Germany.

When Bayern came knocking in 2020, Bühl moved to Bavaria and quickly established herself as one of the key members of the team. She has since made over 100 league appearances for the club and helped them win four league titles in her five years at the club. She has earned a reputation for making an impact on big stages, becoming the first player to score at the Allianz Arena for Bayern Frauen back in 2022.

So what makes Bühl one of the best players in the world?

Style of play

Bühl is an electric, well-rounded winger and one of Europe’s best chance creators. The 25-year-old plays primarily on the left-hand side but is versatile enough to slot across the front line. She has been hailed as one of the most two-footed players by her former managers and it helps her immensely in terms of her dribbling and shot-taking ability.

She is a fearless shot-taker and is capable of shooting and scoring from both feet. In fact, since the start of the 2023-24 season, she has scored seven goals with her left and eight goals with her right, underlining her ambipedal nature. While her shots don’t often originate from exceptionally high-value zones due to taking up wide positions, she laces her shots with venom and can place low, driven shots perfectly in the far corner away from the goalkeeper’s reach.