Signed from Rennes for €20 million ($21 million) in July 2022, teenaged  forward Mathys Tel is impressing at German champions Bayern Munich.

Tel is Bayern’s youngest goalscorer in a competitive match, having netted against Viktoria Köln at 17 years and 126 days old in August 2022.

Since then, the young Frenchman’s performances have improved and improved, leading to comparisons with compatriot Kylian Mbappé.

Tel, who boasts immense pace and power, can play on the wing or at centre-forward. Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel is delighted with his displays.

“The impact he has off the bench  is incredible,” Tuchel has said. “He  has such quality. It’s only a matter  of time before he’s a starter.”

Bayern veteran Thomas Müller has  also praised Tel: “He always injects energy into the team and is hungry  for goals. He’s doing really well.”

This season, he has six goals and an assist from 11 appearances. He also has an 80% pass-completion rate and  a 78% dribble-success rate.

Tel has said that Real Madrid showed interest in him in 2022, but he only wanted to join Bayern. He signed a five-year contract with the Bavarians.

He was offered the vacant No. 9 shirt, but rejected it. “I want to earn it,” he says. “I didn’t want to wear it straight away as an unknown quantity.”

He caught Pelé’s eye before the Brazil great's death. “After I broke the scoring record, Pelé posted, ‘The first of many,’” Tel recalls. “He died weeks later.”