Updated on 04/10/2022 12:53 p.m
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- FC Bayern Munich’s 1-0 win over FC Augsburg on Saturday was the 300th Bundesliga win in Thomas Müller’s career.
- So far, no field player has been able to break this mark.
- Since his debut in 2008, Müller has developed into a key pillar and identification figure.
There are names that have had a decisive influence on the history of Bayern Munich. Gerd Müller, Lothar Matthäus, Oliver Kahn, Philipp Lahm – they are all synonymous with the class, the successes and the mentality of the German record champions. One name that fits seamlessly is that of Thomas Müller.
It is fair to say that we have been experiencing the Thomas Müller era for almost ten years. The Upper Bavarian may rarely have been by far the best player in the squad, but he was almost always one of the pillars of the team. Even smaller periods of weakness, such as at the time of head coach Niko Kovac, were quickly forgotten by Müller.
The stamina and longevity of the offensive player make him so special and so important for Bayern. These aspects were underpinned with a career milestone over the weekend. The 1-0 win over FC Augsburg was Thomas Müller’s 300th Bundesliga win. He is the first outfield player to break this mark and no other Bundesliga professional has celebrated so many victories with one club.
Thomas Müller: Raumdeuter and workhorse
Since his professional debut on August 15, 2008, Müller has developed into a cornerstone for FC Bayern in two main ways: On the one hand, of course, there is the playful aspect. He started his career on the right flank, but gradually took over all possible positions on the offensive of the record champions and also the national team.
Even experts sometimes find it difficult to precisely define the best role for Müller. The label “room interpreter” was attributed to him because he can read the spaces in the opposing defensive network like hardly anyone else in international football. Müller finds gaps that others overlook or cannot anticipate.
In addition, he is not only a clever runner, but also a hard yet intelligent worker. Even at the age of 32, Müller can still exert aggressive pressure with full intensity, for example by the DFB team. It is only seldom that one can guess that even the eternal miller will not play forever, because he usually shows the intensity of someone ten years his junior.
Personified “Mia san mia”
In addition to the playful aspect, Müller is also important for the team structure and identification with the club. Despite their global status, FC Bayern continue to believe that they are very Bavarian at heart. The “Mia san mia” mentality should be maintained despite sales of hundreds of millions of euros.
And no one represents this credo more than Müller, who also earns an annual salary of over ten million euros. Nevertheless, many believe that he hasn’t completely lost his slightly childish nature and that he’s always had the rogue on his back. The 32-year-old personifies the balancing act between world-class football and provincial familiarity.
But even if we don’t pay attention to these soft factors, the bare numbers that illustrate the Müller phenomenon remain: In addition to the 300th Bundesliga victory, which is likely to be followed by many more, Müller has the following to show for himself in his biography: world champion, twice Champions League winner, ten-time German champion, six-time cup winner, two-time club world champion, two-time triple winner. In 411 games for FC Bayern, he was involved in 290 goals and scored 136 goals himself.
And again this season he clearly leads the Bundesliga rankings of assist providers with 16 assists. Because the Müller phenomenon is far from over – to the delight of Bayern officials and fans and to the chagrin of all opponents.
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