He sank to his knees after game. Established pros like Miroslav Klose, Mark van Bommel and Daniel van Buyten lined up alongside the 19-year-old Thomas Müller who ended up on his knees in front of the celebrating fans at the Allianz Arena after a brilliant performance in the Champions League. The homegrown Bayern youngster looked rather shy on that occasion. At that point, he could never have imagined what was to follow on the biggest stage in European football.
Ten years separate this Sunday and the second leg of the Round of 16 tie against Sporting Lisbon where Müller made his debut in Europe’s premiere club competition with his goal rounding off an impressive 7-1 win in his first outing. It was start of a great career in this competition. Bayern’s number 25 has appeared in three finals for Germany’s record champions and Thomas and his team-mates were crowned champions of Europe after the Wembley final in 2013.
The player born in Upper Bavaria has played 105 games and scored 42 goals in the Champions League. He is the top German goalscorer in Europe’s biggest club competition and he is on course to overtake his former captain Philipp Lahm (112 appearances) in terms of the most games played. Ten years after his debut, Thomas Müller is still keen to shine on the European stage.
In the ‘Looking Back’ series, fcbayern.com presents regular snapshots from the photo archives for fans to enjoy.
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