In the end, it was the perfect day for Thomas Müller. He made no secret of the fact that the title of “sole record player of FC Bayern Munich” had little effect on him. The veteran, however, celebrated his goal extensively and sent a special thank you to his first sponsor.
The clock in Munich’s Allianz Arena showed 58 minutes and 26 seconds when Thomas Müller stepped onto the pitch for Michael Olise and was greeted with the usual euphoric enthusiasm by the crowd. Early on Sunday evening, however, the applause was even more euphoric when stadium announcer Stephan Lehmann informed the sold-out crowd of Müller’s new record player status.
Müller’s “van Basten Run”
With 710 competitive appearances, Müller is now the sole record holder for Munich, leaving Bayern legend Sepp Maier behind. “Of course I knew what was coming, but records are not that important to me,” said the 34-year-old on DAZN-Microphone and instead referred to his goal that made the final score 2-0.
“I scored a brutally beautiful goal today, technically outstanding, and then it went in – that’s what I enjoy. Whether it’s 710, 712 or 325 games,” is not so important, stressed the former national player, and went into more detail about his goal. “I went on a run, which my former mentor, who really taught us a lot, called the van Basten run.”
Of course, he is referring to Louis van Gaal, who was instrumental in Müller’s breakthrough. “When you fake a run, where you go deep on the ball side and then run back behind the defender. That’s exactly what it was. In the end, you learn something from 15 years ago and you can use it today – that’s how it should be. Thank you Louis, thank you Louis.”
Kompany’s special anecdote about Müller’s debut
He celebrated with the fans in the stands after the final whistle: Thomas Müller.
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To celebrate the day, Müller celebrated his perfect day with the Bayern fans in the south stand, sang exuberantly and spent a few moments chatting with the supporters. “I know some of them personally. I told them that they should work hard this year because they will need a few days off. We have a lot planned this year. Of course, they and I really enjoyed that.”
“Absolutely – a long way off,” answered the offensive player when asked whether he meant the “final at home”. “But the real goal is to get the horsepower on the road so that we play good games. The other goal is the overarching goal, but of course you have to consider the path that will get you to your goal. The other goal can hang somewhere in the dressing room as a motto.”
Coach Vincent Kompany also paid great respect to Müller and told a special anecdote. “I saw his first game, I was on this very pitch. Back then, though, it was with HSV.” The Belgian had indeed been substituted on for the Rothosen on the first matchday of the 2008/09 season and had already met Müller, who was 18 years old at the time, for the first time. “710 games is unbelievable. But he didn’t just give 100 percent in 710 games, he also gave it in training. That’s what makes Thomas so special. He’s only 34, but he’s still going to play a lot of games this season.”
More on the topic: Müller and Maier in a double interview with kicker (k+)
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