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In a bit of a surprise, but delightful twist, Serge Gnabry and not his more famous teammates was voted by the fans on FCBayern TV as the MVP of the season. It shouldn’t come as too much of a shock. The 23-year-old appeared in 30 games in the Bundesliga season chipping in 10 goals and 7 assists while creating a breathtaking highlight reel. When pressed into service due to injuries, he never looked out of place or lost; he just slotted right in and played hard and fast.
Somewhat of an afterthought on the transfer market, Gnabry has had a bit of a rough go of it getting his career off the ground. The once promising Stuttgart youth player who was later crossed the channel to Arsenal could never make a name for himself in the EPL, having been turned away by both Arsenal and West Brom, where he was loaned to for the 2015/16 season. Even after seemingly turning it all around at Werder Bremen, Bayern acquired him for a song perhaps seeing the same potential Arsene Wenger saw in him when he was a youth.
Bayern saw that investment immediately pay dividends as soon as Gnabry joined from his season-long loan to Hoffenheim, becoming the most consistent winger of the season. With his list of former clubs reading like a Tolstoy novel, it’s hard to imagine he is still only 23 with a long, bright future ahead of him.