The Rewards of Roy

Having struck eight times in 13 Bundesliga matches this season, Dutch striker Roy Makaay is tied for second in the league's goal-scorer's list -- one behind Hertha Berlin's Marco Pantelic. But his real value to Bayern Munich only emerges when one considers where the team would be if he hadn't found the net so often.

Bayern may be dismayed by their current fourth-place standing in the table. But without Makaay's goals, mighty Munich would have only 19 points, which would put the defending champs down in the mid-table doldrums with the likes of Wolfsburg and Dortmund.

And the Dutchman would likely have had nine goals, had not strike partner Claudio Pizarro jumped places in the pecking order in Bayern's October match against Frankfurt, taking -- and missing -- a penalty that should have been Makaay's.

The two have since made up, and thanks to Makaay, Bayern remain very much in the title hunt. The irony is that he's often been one of the most criticized members of the squad.

The numbers don't lie

In 2003, Bayern paid 18.7 million euros ($24.6 million) to Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna to acquire Makaay, making him the most expensive transfer in Munich history. It's an investment that has paid off. Makaay has scored 70 goals in 109 games for the Bavarians and has been the Bundesliga's most productive striker over the past three years -- even ahead of Bremen's scoring machine Miroslav Klose.

Yet Makaay's relationship with Munich coach Felix Magath has never been overly chummy -- with Magath occasionally choosing to bench or substitute the Dutchman early on in matches. Part of the reason is that Makaay can remain relatively invisible for much of a game, only to pounce suddenly when the opposing defense has let down its guard.

During the off-season, rumors abounded that Bayern were trying to off-load Makaay as part of a bid to bring fellow Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy to the Allianz Arena. That deal never got off the ground. Ruud is currently ripping things up in the Spanish Primera Division, while Roy is playing his role in keeping Bayern within striking distance of the Bundesliga lead.

The soft-spoken Makaay isn't the type of player who blows his own horn, and that's perhaps also why he comes in for so much criticism. But this year he's once again proving his worth to Bayern. And by the end of the season, fans can expect him, barring injury, to be once again among the Bundesliga's top five goal scorers.