10 players whose careers dipped after joining Bayern Munich

#1: Lukas Podolski

Podolski was a regular starter under Jurgen Klinsmann in Germany.

Lukas Podolski is a household name when it comes to watching Germany in the World-Cup. The former Arsenal frontman was a trusted servant of the Die Mannschaft before retiring in 2017.

However, Podolski never exactly spent the time of his life in his three-year unhappy spell at Bavaria. The striker joined Bayern for €10 million from German side FC Koln in the summer of 2006.

Podolski showed tremendous potential and if it had been for more game time, the forward certainly would have established himself as a Bayern Munich regular at the Allianz. But, the return of Ottmar Hitzfeld signalled the beginning of his end at Bavaria.

Hitzfeld brought mercurial Italian forward Luca Toni to the Allianz in summer 2007. It was Toni and Klose who would get the nod as the first-team regulars while Podolski found himself at the fringes. He starred comparatively less due to Toni and Klose's successful partnership on the field.

Jurgen Klinsmann took over the reigns from Hitzfield after resigning as the national team coach. The former FC Koln striker might have hoped to get more chances under a coach who trusted his abilities.

But, Podolski's spirits seemed to dampen when Klinsmann seemed to be in favour of the Toni-Klose link-up in the attack.

Frustrated with the lack of opportunities, Podolski left Bayern to return to FC Koln. He joined several high-profile clubs like Inter Milan and Arsenal. But, his abilities had faded away and the striker never succeeded in making the highest echelon of footballers.

Podolski made 71 appearances, netting only 15 times for the Bavarians.