As expected, world champion and fan favorite Thomas Müller is ending his successful career in the German national soccer team. “When I was allowed to play my first international game more than 14 years ago, I would never have dreamed of all this. After 131 international games with 45 goals, I say hello to the Federal Eagle today,” said the 34-year-old. in a video message on Monday.
The 2014 world champion continued that the DFB team had “great victories and bittersweet victories”: “Sometimes destroyed, only to get back up again – competing against the best players in the world and alongside great, experienced colleagues I have them quite incomprehensible. moments.”
After the home European Championship quarter-final against Spain, Müller had already announced a conversation with national soccer coach Julian Nagelsmann. The 2014 world champion will fulfill his contract with FC Bayern München, which lasts until 2025, the “Bild” recently reported.
Quotes for eternity: The best words of Thomas Müller
Thomas Müller: Debut in the DFB jersey against Argentina
The FC Bayern professional, who still has one year left on his contract in Munich, made his debut in the DFB jersey in March 2010 against Argentina – the opponent he also faced in his biggest game win 2014 World Cup finals (1-0 nV). Four years earlier he was top scorer on his first World Cup match. He was in the German starting line-up 104 times and came on as a substitute for the 27th and final time in the European quarter-final against Spain.
Only two national players have featured more often for Germany than Thomas Müller
Müller took part in four World Cups (19 games, ten goals, six assists) and played as many European Championships (17/0/2). Only record holders Lothar Matthäus (150 appearances) and Miroslav Klose (137) played more times for Germany than Müller.
No goals at the European Championships
In addition, the record scorers Klose (71), Gerd Müller (68), Lukas Podolski (49), Jürgen Klinsmann and Rudi Völler (both 47) scored more times for the DFB team.
Strange: Müller was denied a goal at the European Championships. The Munich player no longer played a major role in the domestic competition.
Use him as a joker at EM 2024
National coach Nagelsmann described him as a “connector” and “lubricant” for the good atmosphere between young and older players. He was only used as a substitute in the opening game against Scotland (5:1) and in the big but ultimately useless game in the quarter finals against Spain (1:2 nV).
DFB Müller’s time after an early exit from the 2018 World Cup in Russia was deteriorating and the then national coach Joachim Löw no longer accepted him, Mats Hummels and Jérome Boateng in the included in March 2019 – a decision that was heavily debated at the time. . But Müller came back to the 2021 European Championships – without Fortune. In the round of 16 of the European Championship against England (0-2) he missed a great chance to get equal.
The last World Cup in Qatar
First Löw’s successor Hansi Flick did without Müller, but he was back at the 2022 World Cup. After another preliminary event in Qatar, Müller said in a TV interview: “It was a great pleasure, dear people. Thank you. We had incredible moments together. I tried to leave my heart on the pitch in every game.” At the time, this was interpreted as an announcement that he was retiring. Müller declared that he did everything “with love.” The home European Championship remained unchanged.