BFW Series: What ever happened to...Tiago Dantas?

Whatever happened to former Bayern Munich prospect Tiago Dantas? Two years ago he was specifically requested in by Hansi Flick and was considered one of the greatest talents in European football. Dantas is currently playing for PAOK Thessaloniki in Greece. What has been going on since his departure from Bayern Munich in June 2021?

Hasan Salihamidžić claimed back in October 2020 “Let him surprise you!” when Bayern Munich signed Tiago Dantas on loan. Well, that surprise never happened, unfortunately. In 2020/2021. Let’s look at the harvest in the Bundesliga as provided by Transfermarkt:

• In squad: 12x
• Starting XI: 1x
• Substituted on: 1x
• Not in squad: 10x
• Suspended: 0x
• Injured: 0x

He did not even have one appearance in the Champions League and spent most of his time with Bayern Munich II and gathered the following numbers:

• In squad: 8x
• Starting XI: 7x
• Substituted on: 0x
• Not in squad: 1x
• Suspended: 0x
• Injured: 0x

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

After a rather disappointing year at Bayern Munich, the club decided not to pay the buyout and Dantas returned to Benfica in 2021/2022. He was then immediately loaned out to CD Tondela. In his home country Portugal, Dantas became a significant player for Tondela, making it to 26 first-division appearances. However, Dantas was not able to save the team from relegation.

• In squad: 30x
• Starting XI: 11x
• Substituted on: 15x
• Not in squad: 4x
• Suspended: 0x
• Injured: 1x (Corona infection)

Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

In June 2022, PAOK Thessaloniki signed Tiago Dantas on a two-year loan from Benfica until the summer of 2023. So far, he has been playing in the Starting XI.

• In squad: 6x
• Starting XI: 6x
• Substituted on: 0x
• Not in squad: 0x
• Suspended: 0x
• Injured: 0x

“I believe that I will be able to acclimate very quickly here”, said the now 21-year-old Tiago Dantas when he was introduced to PAOK Thessaloniki. “My teammates are bigger and stronger, while I tend to be the slender one. However, I can score with my technique to compensate for that”, stated Dantas confidently. He went on to add: “I think people all over the world like to see players like me.” Though the team did not make it through the second qualification round of the UEFA Europa Conference League, Dantas made a name for himself by scoring his first goal in his second appearance for the team. Essentially, he gathered twice as many scorer points in two games with PAOK than during his entire spell at Bayern.

It is definitely a step in the right direction. Dantas is still very young and he surely has the confidence as well as the potential to turn things around. As he gathers more experience, he could take the next step at one of the top five leagues in Europe. Let’s keep an eye on this fella just in case!