For decades, "the world is better out" has been used to describe footballers who transfer after a breakthrough. But for young stars studying football at Borussia Dortmund, this claim may never have been so true. For much of the Hornets' recent seasons, the club has used their expertise to find young players, groom them into some of the most exciting talent in Europe, and then sell them for a hefty price. Any fan can name the players who left after Dortmund became famous. Götze, Mkhitaryan, Osman Dembele and Sancho, among others. That's why Borussia Dortmund has earned 747 million euros from player sales in the last five years – a figure second only to Barcelona and Juventus. However, while Borussia Dortmund may add a lot of color to their earnings reports after every major deal is completed, few of these players have been able to get any better after finishing their experience for the Bundesliga giants.
While some former Dortmund stars – such as Manchester City's Gundogan or Bayern Munich's Lewandowski – have achieved bigger and better, for the most part, few players have been able to continue to improve, even to the fiery state of their previous time in the Bundesliga. When we look at the performance of the 7 attacking players who have made a lot of money for Borussia Dortmund when they left the team over the past 10 years, as well as the goals and assists they have averaged every season, we can see that there has undoubtedly been a significant decline since they left the club.
As the chart above shows, these players vary in age, experience, and end of their careers. But almost all but one of them are struggling to match their performances at Borussia Dortmund, and most have been poorer since leaving the club. The only exception is Lewandowski, who has undoubtedly become a better striker during the unprecedented Bundesliga reign that Bayern has experienced. But he's a different person here.
So we think about another striker who is about to enter the ranks of these predecessors, and may move to England or Spain this summer, who will transfer at a sky-high price, will something similar happen to him? The Norway international has been outstanding since moving to Germany and is widely expected to hold hands with one of Europe's biggest clubs in the summer transfer window. Of course, most people would think that Haaland is currently more likely to have more success than any of the previously mentioned stars, even Lewandowski, and may eventually become the successor to bayern striker, but it is still difficult to guarantee that he will be able to continue to maintain the incredible average of 1.46 goals or assists per game.
Whether Dembele, Götzel or Sancho will regret leaving Dortmund is certainly a question worth discussing, but it is undeniable that none of them has ever again reached the personal form and success of making them Europe's brightest stars when they played at Dortmund. Ahead of the summer transfer window, Haaland will have a lot to consider, the most crucial of which is whether he can find a club that is so favorable for his game, as Dortmund sees him as the heart of the attack and not just a piece of the puzzle. If the recent transfer record is worth learning from, it shows that The Dortmund team is better suited to improve the form and stats of attacking players.