The Bundesliga giants moved swiftly to bring in the 18-year-old prospect from LAFC, the latest American to move to Germany.
Bayern Munich have announced the signing of 18-year-old Bajung Darboe from LAFC, the latest in a long line of transfers from MLS to the German top division.
Darboe, an attacking midfielder, trained with the Bayern in 2022 and will join the reserve team initially. He is rated as one of the top American prospects of his age group and has already made 29 appearances in MLS Next Pro, the third tier of soccer in the US.
“A big dream has come true for me. It’s nice to see where my path has taken me,” Darboe explained in interview with the Bundesliga website. “It was always a big wish of mine to get to pull on the shirt of this great club one day. The fact it’s happened now fills me with a lot of pride. I’m still battling the jet lag but otherwise I feel good and ready to get started.”
The youngster joins on for a $1.5 million transfer fee, according to Tribuna. He has represented the United States at Under-17 level but is also eligible to represent both Gambia and Finland. Darboe was born in Gambia and holds dual American-Finnish citizenship.
American players continue to move to Germany
Links between the United States and Germany are rife in the world of soccer and Darboe is the latest player to move from the former to the latter. Young midfielder Giovanni Reyna joined Borussia Dortmund in 2019 and has gone on to play more than 100 games for the German giants. He followed in the footsteps of USMNT teammate Christian Pulisic, who spent a successful four years at Signal Iduna Park before being snapped up by Chelsea.
Many of the USMNT’s most celebrated players have featured in Germany during their careers. The likes of Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley and Brian McBride spent time in the Bundesliga. In fact, five of the top seven USMNT goal-scorers played in Germany at some point.
The move to Germany also gives Darboe the chance to train and, one day, play alongside some of the best players in the world. The 18-year-old revealed which new teammates he is particularly keen to meet up with.
“I always looked up to Cristiano Ronaldo when I was a child. At Bayern I look up to Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman and most of all Joshua Kimmich,” Darboe said.
“My family are proud, they’re very happy for me. My parents have accompanied me all the way on my journey and are very happy that the efforts of the past years have paid off. Without their support I wouldn’t be here today. I have a lot to thank them for.”