Cliff Notes – Thomas Müller to leave Bayern Munich at end of season
- Thomas Müller will depart Bayern Munich at the end of the season, concluding a 25-year tenure with the club, after not being offered a new contract.
- The 35-year-old expressed gratitude for his time at Bayern, highlighting his desire to celebrate titles together with fans before his departure.
- Despite a significant reduction in playing time in recent seasons, Müller aims to contribute to Bayern’s success in the league and Champions League before his exit.
Thomas Müller to leave Bayern Munich at end of season
Thomas Müller will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, bringing an end to a 25-year career with the club, after not being offered a new contract.
In a statement, Müller, 35, who started as a youth player and won a record 12 league titles with Bayern — the most by any Bundesliga player — said he would have liked to stay on.
“It’s clear that today is not like any other day for me,” Müller said. “My 25 years as an FC Bayern Munich player will come to an end in the summer. It’s been an incredible journey, shaped by unique experiences, great encounters and unforgettable triumphs.
The special connection to the club
“I feel immense gratitude and joy that I got to make this career with my beloved club. The special connection to the club and our fantastic fans will always remain. What I want as a farewell should be clear: titles we can celebrate together, and moments we’ll remember fondly for a long time.
“We’re going to give our all in the coming weeks to bring the league title back to Munich and reach our coveted ‘Finale Dahoam.’ Let’s do it together!”
Thomas Müller has seen his playing time dwindle at Bayern Munich.
He did not make any reference to the next step of his club career
Müller, for years a guaranteed starter for Bayern, had seen his playing time drop sharply in the past two seasons and now only plays a minor role under coach Vincent Kompany.
His future was the subject of speculation for several months but until now, both the club and the player had stayed silent. While there is no indication that Müller will retire from football any time soon, Bayern have hinted they would like him to get involved with the club following the end of his playing days.
Bayern said the decision to end his career at the club was taken jointly with the player, and Müller would make his last appearances for the club at the Club World Cup in the United States in June and July.
“Thomas Müller is the epitome of a Bavarian textbook career,” club president Herbert Hainer said in a statement.
“No one has won more German championships, and his 33 titles speak volumes. He joins the ranks of FC Bayern’s most outstanding personalities.”
Thanked Müller for his service to Bayern
Sporting director Christoph Freund thanked Müller for his service to Bayern. He said: “Thomas Müller: no tricks, no show, just an incredible amount of instinct and extraordinary reading of the game — a pure footballer. There’ll never be another one like him, that’s for sure, and he internalised FC Bayern from a young age.
“This decision was extremely hard, as everyone can understand. In the end it was for reasons of squad planning, and the most important thing is that you can look each other in the eye afterwards. That’s the case here. Now we will do everything we can to finish with more trophies.”
A one-club player, a rarity in top football these days, Müller won two Champions League titles, two club World Cups and six German Cups with Bayern, among other titles. He also helped Germany win the 2014 World Cup.
Müller could add more titles this season to his bulging trophy cabinet, with Bayern leading the title race by a nine-point advantage. They also face Inter Milan in the Champions League quarterfinals next week.
The Champions League final will be held in Munich’s Allianz Arena.
“Now our full focus is on our sporting goals for the season,” Müller said. “It would be a dream for me to bring the league trophy back home and reach the long-awaited final at home at the end of May.”
Müller retired from Germany duty after their exit from Euro 2024, ending his international career with 131 caps and 45 goals.
Tribute to Muller on Instagram by FC Bayern
https://www.instagram.com/p/DIDteBNtoxj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
