Corentin Tolisso scored on his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich in their Matchday 1 victor over Bayer Leverkusen.
Corentin Tolisso scored on his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich in their Matchday 1 victor over Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern Munich’s record signing Corentin Tolisso: “Staying down-to-earth is very important!”

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He may be the most expensive player in Bayern Munich’s history, but after a modest childhood in a village of around 3,000, money is the furthest thing from Corentin Tolisso’s mind.

"I think staying down-to-earth is very important,” Tolisso told SportBild. “I come from Thizy, a small village in France, where my grandparents still live. My father was a postman; my mother still works as a director of a disabled peoples home.

“I know where I come from, and that will remain so. This is my character, and shows how my parents raised me.”

Tolisso, who scored on his Bundesliga debut for Bayern against Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 1, does not like to speak about the fact that he is the club’s record signing, instead speaking of his gratitude for the trust shown in him by one of his favourite boyhood clubs.

Watch: Tolisso scores on his Bundesliga debut!

“It was clear that Olympique Lyon wanted to sell me at a higher place, so I’m very grateful for the trust shown in me by Bayern,” said Tolisso.

His modest upbringing allowed Tolisso to dream big. From Thizy, he watched Bayern play and win titles across Germany and Europe, even owning a shirt of the record Bundesliga champions as a child.

“I’ve admired the club since my childhood and moved to Bayern because I felt the change was the right step for my career,” explained the 23-year-old. “This was more important to me than perhaps to earn more money elsewhere.”

"Don't daydream, live your dreams," Tolisso wrote on his Instagram.

Many world-class players in Tolisso's central midfield position have come through Munich in their careers, the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Lothar Matthaüs. The young French powerhouse has seen them all, and has his favourites.

“There are of course many names that I could give,” said Tolisso. “When I was younger I liked Michael Ballack, he was a great player as well as a personality. But the player I admire most is Franck Ribery.”

With Ribery as a role model for what a French player can accomplish and fused with admirable humility, the youngest Tolisso looks well equipped to do what his father did before him: deliver!

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