Sandro Wagner

**Sandro Wagner** (German pronunciation: [ˈzandʁo ˈvaːgnɐ];[3] born 29 November 1987) is a German professional footballer who plays as striker for Bayern Munich.[4][5]

## Club career

### Early career

Born in Munich, Wagner scored his first goal for Bayern Munich in a 2–0 victory over VfB Stuttgart in the 2007 Ligapokal, a six team pre-season tournament composing of the top four Bundesliga teams, the winners of the German Cup and the first-place team from the 2. Bundesliga. Wagner started the match in place of the ill Miroslav Klose. He assisted the first goal of the match for Franck Ribéry and scored himself in the 66th minute. He also made appearances for the reserve team during the 2005–06,[6] 2006–07,[7] and 2007–08[8] seasons.

On 10 June 2008, Wagner moved to MSV Duisburg before signing for Werder Bremen on 31 January 2010.[9] During the 2008–09 season, Wagner scored nine goals in 32 matches.[10] During the 2009–10 season, Wagner scored five goals in seven matches.[11]

On 19 January 2012, Wagner was loaned to 1. FC Kaiserslautern.[12]

### Hertha BSC and Darmstadt

He then played for Hertha BSC and Hertha BSC II from 2012 to 2015.[11] He scored six goals in 32 matches for Hertha and one goal in one match for the reserve team during the 2012–13 season.[13] He scored two goals in 25 matches for Hertha in the 2013–14 season.[14] He also played a match for the reserve team without scoring a goal.[14] In his final season with Hertha, he played 16 matches for the first team and one match for the reserve team without scoring a goal for either team.[15]

On 8 August 2015, Wagner signed for SV Darmstadt 98.[16] During the 2015–16 season, Wagner scored 15 goals in 34 matches played.[17]

### 1899 Hoffenheim

On 30 June 2016, Wagner joined fellow Bundesliga club 1899 Hoffenheim by signing a contract until June 2019.[18]
 He was presented the same day, and took squad number 14, stating:
“Hoffenheim are a great club and their ambition impressed me straight
away.”[18]

He made his competitive debut with the team on 28 August 2016 in the opening Bundesliga matchday against newcomers of RB Leipzig which ended in a 2–2 home draw.[19] He opened his scoring account in the second matchday against Mainz 05, netting his team's first goal as Hoffenheim came from three goals down to earn a 4–4 away draw.[20]

On 31 March 2017, he had his finger dislocated after a clash with Hertha captain Vedad Ibišević, nevertheless he went on to play until the end of the match, also assisting Andrej Kramarić for the third goal in an eventual 1–3 away win.[21][22] Wagner finished his first Hoffenheim season by netting 11 league goals in 31 appearances,[23] 30 of them as starter, adding two cup appearances and one goal,[23] being important for Julian Nagelsmann's side that finished the league undefeated at home, securing a spot in Champions League play-off round for next season.[24]

On 9 July 2017, Wagner agreed a contract extension, adding one more year to his current contract.[25] During the 2017–18 season, before transferring to Bayern, Wagner scored six goals in 17 matches.[11]

### Return to Bayern Munich

On 21 December 2017, it was announced that Wagner will be transferred to Bayern Munich on 1 January 2018.[26] He signed a contract until 2020.[26] Wagner's first match since his return was when he came on as a substitute against Bayer Leverkusen on 12 January 2018.[27]
 He opened his scoring account later on 27 January by netting the last
goal of a 5–2 home win over his former side 1899 Hoffenheim.[28] He played his first match as starter the next week in the 2–0 away win against Mainz.[29] Wagner scored his second ever UEFA Champions League goal, the first in Bayern colours, on 14 February in the second leg of quarter-finals versus Beşiktaş as Bayern won 3–1 at Vodafone Park and progressed 8–1 on aggregate.[30] Wagner started the 2018–19 season by coming in as a substitute in a 5–0 win in the 2018 German Super Cup.[31]

## International career

### Youth

He has earned 8 caps for Germany at Under 21 level, scoring four goals, including two in the final of the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in Sweden where Germany beat England 4–0.[32]

### Senior

In June 2017, Wagner received his first call-up to the senior national team for a friendly against Denmark and a FIFA World Cup qualifying match against San Marino.[33] He made his competitive debut on 6 June in the 1–1 away draw against Denmark, playing for more than 60 minutes.[34] Four days later, he scored a hat-trick as Germany thrashed 7–0 San Marino.[35] His performance was praised by national team manager Joachim Löw.[36]

Wagner was also part of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup which ended in conquest.[37] His first and only appearance came on 19 June in the opening Group B match against Australia, missing several good chances to score as Germany won 3–2.[38] After that, he was benched in favour of Timo Werner and Lars Stindl as Germany defeated Chile 1–0 in the final.[39] Wagner finished 2017 by scoring against Northern Ireland[40] and Azerbaijan.[41]

On 16 May 2018, after being left out from Germany's World Cup
squad, Wagner announced his retirement from international football.[42]

## Style of play

Wagner
 is known for aerial power, strength, and is distinguished as a
hard-working player. He is also physically imposing and direct, and has
been praised as a striker who can "wreak havoc" in defenses.[43]
 Speaking in June 2017, Germany manager Joachim Löw stated that Wagner
has "maturity and personality and one who stands by his own opinion".[36]