Thomas Müller: The History Writer

Milestone: Thomas Müller scores for the 250th time. picture alliance / Action Plus

Georg Holzner reports from the Club World Cup in Cincinnati (Ohio)

At the 2002 World Cup, Germany began the tournament with an 8-0 victory over Saudi Arabia, ultimately advancing to the final. Last summer, the national team opened the European Championship with a 5-1 victory over Scotland, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals. At the start of the last Champions League season, FC Bayern swept Dinamo Zagreb 9-2, also reaching the last eight for the Munich club. Now, at this Club World Cup, FC Bayern achieved historic success with a 10-0 win over Auckland City.

The signs are good that this Club World Cup in the USA can go further than other tournaments with similarly brilliant starts. The German record champions are leaving an incredibly united and focused impression. Whether coach Vincent Kompany or the players – everyone, it seems, is pursuing the same goal: to become the first title winners of this new format. "The margin of victory means nothing for the next games," says Thomas Müller quite rightly. The match against the New Zealanders was more of a "small test of character." Regardless, however, and Müller is well aware of this, "it makes you satisfied when you perform like that."

The double-winner knows what he's talking about; he's experienced numerous major tournaments. "We're in good shape, we've had little difficulty adjusting," Müller emphasizes. "We've underscored our ambitions." In other words: no more and no less than seven wins in the possible seven matches, as coach Kompany expressed before the first game.

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16.06.25 - 14:18 15:01 minutes

Müller himself, who went down in history as the first player to score at both a World Cup and a Club World Cup, and who scored his 250th competitive goal for Bayern with his second goal, considers himself in good shape. Despite the hot temperatures, he was on the pitch for the full 90 minutes – without any signs of weakness. "You can also watch me in training – I've never lacked basic fitness in my entire career," the 35-year-old assures. This means: He's ready for more on his farewell tour. For more starting eleven appearances, for more assists, for more goals, for one last title as a Bayern player – and for more personal bests.

With this recent milestone, he has laid the foundation for a successful and, for him, fantastic tournament. Of course, what else? And if it's up to him, this certainly wasn't the end. No matter how Bayern ultimately perform after this brilliant start, Müller will continue to write his story regardless of the team's success, although a title with the team would certainly add another dimension to this final Bayern chapter.

And who knows: Maybe he'll enjoy the tournament in the United States so much that he'll want to stay there. According to kicker, talks with Los Angeles FC have been ongoing for a long time, and Müller isn't completely opposed to the idea, so a move to the Munich club's partner club isn't unthinkable. Why should that be? According to FCB, Müller would like to continue playing football. In LA, he could work in a kind of hybrid role, combining player and FCB representative in the USA – that would be a win-win for everyone. And above all, it would open a new, exciting chapter after the Club World Cup and a year before the traditional World Cup.