Serge Gnabry's journey from being West Brom reject to Bayern's Champions League star

Bayern Munich confirmed they will play Ligue 1 champions PSG in the Champions League final following a 3-0 win over Lyon in their one-legged semi-final on Wednesday night. Serge Gnabry scored twice for the Bundesliga giants as they romped to a comfortable win over the French side. This season, Gnabry has scored 23 goals in all competitions, racking up 12 assists as well.

But there was a time, five years ago, when the 25-year-old was deemed 'not good enough' to play for West Bromwich Albion or Arsenal. It's quite clear that Gnabry has now proved all of his doubters in the Premier League wrong by being one of the driving forces behind Bayern's extraordinary 2019-20 campaign so far. 

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When Tony Pulis claimed Serge Gnabry wasn't good enough for West Brom

The Stuttgart-born attacker joined Arsenal in 2012 but was loaned out to West Brom in 2015 to gain valuable first-team experience. At West Brom, Gnabry managed just three appearances in all competitions throughout the course of the season. The then West Brom head coach Tony Pulis spoke about the young German and claimed that Gnabry wasn't yet ready to play at the top level of football in England.

Following his loan spell, Arsenal decided to sell Gnabry to Schalke. Although Wenger wanted to keep a hold of the young attacker, a lack of first-team opportunities meant that Gnabry sought a move elsewhere. 

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Serge Gnabry Bayern Munich record and Champions League goals

Fast forward to four years later, Serge Gnabry has turned out to become one of the most feared attackers in Europe. Gnabry joined Bayern Munich in the summer of 2018 after signing for the club the previous year and spending a season on loan with Hoffenheim. He won the Player of the Season award in his debut campaign at the Allianz Arena, beating the likes of Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski and Joshua Kimmich for the accolade. He scored 13 goals and provided six assists in 42 competitive outings but has only gone on to surpass those numbers this season.

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Gnabry scored four goals against Tottenham Hotspur in an astonishing 7-2 Champions League win for Bayern on his return to North London. His 12 goals in the domestic league propelled Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title. Most recently, he scored a brace against Lyon to send Bayern to their first Champions League final since 2013.

So how did Serge Gnabry manage to become the player he is today after rejection at West Brom? While speaking to the Daily Mail on Sunday, Gnabry revealed that he is thankful for his experiences as a youngster. He said, "I tried my best at West Brom but it didn't really work out. Still, I always worked hard because I knew my capabilities. The mental side of things progressed really hard when things weren't going well for me." Serge Gnabry and Bayern Munich will now face PSG in the UCL final on August 23. 

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Image Credits - Serge Gnabry Instagram