How Eric Dier went from Tottenham reject to Bayern Munich's rock at the back

Never mind the glittering shootout between Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, star billing in the first of the Champions League semi-finals belongs to a man transformed from Tottenham outcast to the rock of Bayern Munich.

Eric Dier has been something of a sensation in Germany. At first, they wondered why Thomas Tuchel wanted a player written off by Spurs but, within three months, he has become established as the first defender on the team sheet.

Solid, dependable, vocal. Organising and improving others around him. Also, reviving hopes of an England recall with his international career stuck on 49 caps. It is a classic from the redemption genre.

'Eric has topped our expectations,' said Bayern boss Tuchel ahead of Saturday's win at Eintracht Frankfurt. 'Topped them absolutely. We are very satisfied with him. He has given us a lot of stability. He is a great character, a lot of fun, with a lot of energy, very open minded. And a very good player.'

Dier joined Bayern for £3.4million on deadline day, initially on a short-term deal until the end of the season when his Tottenham contract was set to expire but quickly reached the preset clause for appearances to trigger another year in Munich.

Steffen Freund, a Spurs icon working as a co-commentator for RTL Germany, Servus TV Austria and international Bundesliga coverage, was among the minority who thought he would be a hit in the Bundesliga.

'Straight away, I thought it was a fantastic signing for Bayern,' Freund tells Mail Sport. 'Cheap for an experienced international defender who can play in three or four positions. Maybe not the quickest but he reads the game and makes very few individual mistakes.

'I am watching Bayern many times and my only question is why Spurs let him go. He is clearly good enough to play at this level. I don't know what happened and I say this with respect for Daniel Levy and Ange Postecoglou, but he has shown already for Bayern that he can play in a team with a high defensive line.

'He is only 30 years old and if he is not injured, he can easily play at centre-half for Bayern for two or three more years.'

Freund was on Tottenham's backroom staff when Dier arrived from Sporting Lisbon in 2013 and scored a last-minute winner on his debut at West Ham, where he finished the game at right-back after a red card for Kyle Naughton.

Over the next nine-and-a-half years, he seemed to ricochet back and forth from the heart of the team to the periphery, his versatility both a help and a hindrance, his relationship with the fans oscillating.

Under Mauricio Pochettino, he excelled in midfield, where he had a chemistry with Mousa Dembele. Pochettino would throw his full backs forward and Dier would cover Dembele's roaming, dropping to make a third centre-half when required.

It was evidence of his natural awareness and appreciation of the game but when Dembele faded and departed for China, the midfield reshaped. By the time Spurs reached the Champions League final in 2019, it comprised Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko and Christian Eriksen, with Dier on the bench.

He played again more regularly in central defence, often at his best in the middle of a back three, a role in which he flourished for Antonio Conte.

Jose Mourinho also liked Dier's competitive personality. 'The only guy who likes conflict,' said Mourinho approvingly during Amazon's documentary series of the 2019/20 season, a fighting spirit never more in evidence than when he waded into the crowd to confront a Spurs supporter after losing an FA Cup tie on penalties against Norwich.

Ange Postecoglou was less enamoured. At least, not tactically. Dier soldiered on last season through injury and underwent surgery last summer. It held him back at the start of preseason training, but Postecoglou already seemed to have made up his mind.

Recovery pace at the back was the priority for the new boss, who spent £43million to sign Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg in Germany, and seemed to make a determined effort to shift away from the past.

Tottenham's dressing room leadership group of Kane, Dier, Hugo Lloris and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was replaced by Heung-min Son, Cristian Romero and James Maddison.

Kane left for Bayern. Lloris was cleared to find a new club and left in January for Los Angeles United in MLS. Hojbjerg has proved useful, mostly from the bench, but Dier started only once, in a defeat at Wolves in November.

Postecoglou preferred full backs Ben Davies and Emerson Royal to Dier when injuries devastated his back four. Even so, club insiders speak of Dier's impeccable attitude. Never late for training. Always engaged in the sessions and an influential voice.

He even went out of his way to help Van de Ven settle, although he had effectively taken his place in the team, but a midseason exit suited everyone. Tottenham had struck a deal to sign Radu Dragusin for £26.7m from Genoa. Bayern were also keen on Dragusin but the Romania international chose the London option.

When Davies was injured against Burnley, the Spurs boss was asked whether he could still afford to lose Dier. 'Yes,' he replied emphatically. Little wonder his arrival in Munich did not set pulses racing in the way Kane's had.

'In Germany, many people were sceptical of taking one of Tottenham's reserves,' admits Jan Aage Fjortoft, the former Norway international now a leading Bundesliga pundit for Via Play and ESPN. 'But he has adapted to life there, has been reliable and now he always plays.

'Like Kane, he has shown respect for German football and his performances are a consequence of that. He is an intelligent footballer. He knows his weaknesses as well as his strengths. I compare him a lot to Mats Hummels, who is 35 years old and still performing at the top with Borussia Dortmund for the same reasons. He is good at finding a balance.'

Matthijs De Ligt has looked happier and more comfortable alongside Dier than he did before. They have become Tuchel's preferred pair in central defence, although De Ligt was forced off injured in Frankfurt on Saturday and is a doubt for the first leg against Real on Tuesday night.

Dayot Upamecano has been out injured so it could mean a recall for Kim Min-jae but there is little dispute now that Dier is the primary centre-half.

'Not many people in Germany expected it when he signed but Eric Dier has become very important for Bayern Munich,' says Julien Wolff, of Die Welt newspaper. 'He is very friendly, very professional, very popular. His teammates like him, media likes him, supporters like him. He is a fighter and a very good player, a very good signing.'

Dier has found a new home, teamed up again with Kane on the brink of a Champions League final, and Gareth Southgate and Spurs supporters will watch with interest.