If his will to start the match is respected, Kylian Mbappé will quickly find Yann Sommer, an old acquaintance. Everyone remembers that the Swiss goalkeeper had stopped the shot on goal which had eliminated the French team (3-3, 5-4 on pens) from Euro 2020. Almost two years later, the Parisian number 7 will have therefore (probably) the opportunity to rub shoulders with his executioner for a few minutes at the end of the match.
Arriving in Bavaria on January 19 from Borussia Mönchengladbach, Yann Sommer (34) immediately changed in dimension. After nine seasons fighting for Europe with Gladbach, the goalkeeper with 80 caps with the Nati signed up until 2025 with the biggest German club.
Recruited to make up for the absence of Manuel Neuer, injured until the end of the season (leg fracture), he made his debut quickly, the day after his arrival, against RB Leipzig (1-1). Since then, his performances have been convincing. “He is solid and has made no mistakes since his arrival,” says Patrick Guillou, beIN Sports consultant, Bundesliga specialist.
“We must not believe that Bayern loses in the exchange”
“To find a goalkeeper, Bayern looked at what was being done in the Bundesliga and Yann Sommer ticked a lot of boxes: he is international, he has experience in the Champions League and the Bundesliga. He is able to direct his defense and his polyglot side is important at this level because he speaks German, French and English ”, details the one who also comments on the Champions League on beIN Sports.
“He deserves everything he has today. It should not be believed that Bayern lose out with the absence of Neuer. They know what they are doing and that he is capable of handling such an appointment. He risks surprising a lot of people, ”enthuses Jacques Zoua, his former teammate at FC Basel between 2010 and 2013.
In a different style from that of Manuel Neuer, the Swiss, who does not correspond to the modern standard (1.83 m), impresses in particular with his reflex stops. “When it’s a big day, it’s impassable,” swears Patrick Guillou. He “breathes security”, assured Ottmar Hitzfeld, the former boss of the Nati (2008-2014), a few years ago.
“We were all shocked: he was too strong”
With 45 C1 and 40 C3 matches between FC Basel and Borussia Mönchengladbach, Sommer has solid European experience when it comes to taking on the Parisian armada. It’s not for nothing that Hasan Salihamidzic, the sporting director of Bayern Munich, considers him one of the best European goalkeepers.
To manage to keep the goals of Bayern Munich, Sommer worked a lot. “When he was young, he was already motivated and disciplined. If you asked him to stay and do specific exercises after a difficult session, he always said yes,” recalls Cameroonian striker Jacques Zoua. “He had a lot of character despite his youth. Sometimes in training, he challenged us. He told us: You don’t score more than two goals today. And we didn’t score! We were all shocked: he was too strong! »
Off the pitch, Zoua describes him as “a very nice person, always smiling. The tone never rises with him and you will never see him tangle with anyone.
Passionate about art and able to paint up to eight hours a day, a good cook to the point of having kept a blog on the subject for a long time, Yann Sommer is also an informed musician since he has done singing, piano and guitar. So many activities that prove his ease with his hands. Parisians have been warned.