- Planet Sport writer
- 26 August 2024
Vincent Kompany's challenging Bayern Munich debut victory
Vincent Kompany's first match as Bayern Munich's head coach proved to be a challenging Bundesliga debut.
Thomas Muller is an attacking midfielder who plays for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and won 131 caps for the Germany national team.
Having been at Bayern Munich since he was 11, Muller has won more trophies than any other player in German history.
He was part of the Germany side which won the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and has played a major role in treble-winning seasons at Bayern Munich in 2012/13 and 2019/20.
He won his first cap in 2010 and went on to make 131 appearances for his country, scoring 45 goals.
Bayern Munich's star man
Muller joined Bayern Munich from TSV Pahl in 2000 and made his first team breakthrough in 2008. Jurgen Klinsmann was the Bayern coach who introduced him to the fold.
In February 2009, Muller signed his maiden first team contract with the club, putting pen to paper on a two-year deal starting in the 2009/10 season.
Muller was prepared to be loaned or transferred out of the Bayern Munich side in order to gain regular first team soccer, but after Louis van Gaal was appointed as Klinsmann's replacement, he became a regular in the team.
He played all 34 of Bayern's Bundesliga matches in the 2009/10 season, starting 29, and picking up 13 goals and 11 assists. Bayern won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, but lost the UEFA Champions League final 2-0 to Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan.
Muller's contribution to the team remained impressive in subsequent campaigns, but Bayern were beaten to the 2010/11 Bundesliga title by Borussia Dortmund. Jurgen Klopp's side beat Bayern to the title once again in 2011/12, also beating them in the final of the DFB-Pokal. At the Allianz Arena, Bayern lost the UEFA Champions League final on penalties to Chelsea after a 1-1 draw.
Jupp Heynckes stayed on as manager for another season and it was a hugely successful one. Bayern Munich won the treble in 2012/13 - the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. They beat Dortmund 2-1 in the final of the Champions League at Wembley Stadium. Muller was instrumental once again and started the final.
Pep Guardiola took over from Heynckes as Bayern Munich manager and the club won the next three Bundesliga titles under him, as well as the DFB-Pokal in 2013/14 and 2015/16.
Muller's consistency was remarkable and the 2015/16 season was particularly fruitful in terms of goals scored with 32 goals in 49 appearances.
Carlo Ancelotti took over from Guardiola and won the 2016/17 Bundesliga. However, he was sacked following a poor start to the 2017/18 season. After a brief period with Willy Sagnol at the helm, Heynckes came in and steered Bayern to yet another league title.
Niko Kovac, his replacement, won the league title in 2018/19, but the next truly successful season for Bayern was in 2019/20. Early in the season, Kovac made way for Hans-Dieter Flick after a poor start to the season. Flick led Bayern to the UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal treble once again.
They retained their Bundesliga title in 2020/21 and again in 2021/22 under new manager Julian Nagelsmann who took the reins after Flick became the national team manager.
Muller remained a central part of the team under all managers and has made over 40 appearances in every season since 2009/10.
However, under Kovac, there was a time when Muller had to fight for his place. With Philippe Coutinho having arrived at the club, Kovac feared that the two could not play together given that both play similar attacking roles.
When Louis van Gaal was at Manchester United, he attempted to bring Muller to the Red Devils, but was unable to complete the deal.
Muller collected his 12th Bundesliga title in the 2022/23 season, scoring eight goals in 40 games across all competitions.
The 2023/24 camapign was one of disappointment for Bayern as they finished third and missed out of the title to Bayer Leverkusen. However, it was one of personal achievements for Muller.
He made his 700th appearance for Bayern Munich in April 2024, he made over 150 Champions League appearances and on the last day of the season he levelled the record with Sepp Maier for most Bundlesliga appearances with 473.
World champion with Germany
Muller played for Germany at U-16, U-19, U-20 and U-21 levels. He made his senior international breakthrough in 2010.
He was the joint-top goalscorer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and picked up the Golden Boot, having also provided three assists.
Germany finished third at the World Cup, losing 1-0 to eventual champions Spain in the semi-finals, but beating Uruguay 3-2 in the third-place play-off.
Muller once again made Joachim Low's squad as Germany were knocked out of the UEFA Euro 2012 semi-finals by Italy in a tournament hosted in Poland and Ukraine.
At the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Muller and Germany finally came good as they won the tournament, famously beating the host nation 7-1 in the semi-finals before a 1-0 win over Argentina in extra time in the final thanks to Mario Gotze's strike.
Muller received the Silver Boot as the tournament's second top goalscorer, having once again scored five goals across the duration of the World Cup tournament.
Muller enjoyed a successful run in qualification for Euro 2016, but he had a forgettable tournament as Germany were eliminated in the semi-finals by host nation France with the Bayern Munich star failing to score a single goal.
He was part of Germany's side in their ill-fated 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign in Russia. The team was eliminated in the group stage and Muller was subsequently dropped from the national team.
However, Joachim Low recalled ahead of the delayed Euro 2020 tournament after Muller produced a fine season for Bayern Munich in which he Müller has registered 18 assists and 11 goals in the Bundesliga.
"A successful tournament is extremely important for German soccer, for the whole nation," Joachim Low told the press.
"That's why we decided to bring Thomas Muller back. [He is] respected and accepted by the younger players because of great performances and vast experience. So from that point of view it was the right time."
It was, however, not a happy tournament for Muller. Although he started every match for Germany he was unable to get himself a goal.
He also missed a guilt-edged chance to equalise late in the game as Germany lost to England in the round of 16.
Euro 2024 and international retirement
Muller announced his retirement from international football the day after the Euro 2024 final.
His decision came in the wake of Germany’s defeat to eventual champions Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
The 34-year-old won his first cap in 2010 and went on to make 131 appearances for his country, scoring 45 goals.
Muller posted on X: “Time to say goodbye.”
Muller added in a farewell video on YouTube: “It always made me very proud to play for my country. We celebrated together and sometimes shed a tear together.
“When I had the privilege of making my first international appearance over 14 years ago, I would never have dreamed of all this. I would like to say thank you to all the fans and my Germany team-mates for their support over the years. Take the enthusiasm and joy of this year’s Euros with you.”
His final appearance for Germamy was a cameo off the bench against the Spanish as Mikel Merino’s extra-time winner knocked the hosts out.
Muller finishes his international career as his country’s third-most capped men’s player behind Lothar Matthaus and Miroslav Klose.
Muller personal life
Muller married wife Lisa in 2009 and the pair share a love of horses.
Muller net worth
Muller reportedly earns £263,000 per week at Bayern Munich.
