When Thomas Müller was able to admire the marksmanship of his teammate Robert Lewandowski from close quarters in the game against Hertha Berlin, he made the following point. "There are lots of very good players, including in the Bundesliga, who need years to score a hat-trick," said the 32-year-old in reference to the Pole’s exceptional achievement of scoring three or more goals in a game for the 15th time in his Bundesliga career before adding: "I've been involved in a lot of goals but perhaps I've only scored one hat-trick."
With the ball in the net - Thomas Müller celebrates his opener against Bochum in May 2010.
First hat-trick against Bochum
Whether that statement is based on Müller’s modesty or respect for Lewandowski you have to say the Bavarian stalwart is hiding his light under a bushel. The 32-year-old has scored four hat-tricks during his career in an FC Bayern shirt: Twice in the Bundesliga and twice in the DFB Cup. The next home game against VfL Bochum could perhaps help him recover his powers of memory – because the striker scored his first hat-trick against this opponent.
As a very young player, Müller scored all three goals for FC Bayern in the 3-1 win in the last Bundesliga clash with the team promoted in May 2010. In addition to a goal scored with his foot and one with his head, he also put the ball over the line with his chest thereby demonstrating his inimitable striker's instinct. His first hat-trick in professional football brought Müller very close to another first. The victory on matchday 33 in 2009/10 meant for Müller that his first German championship was all but certain given the three-point advantage for Bayern with a better goal difference over second-placed Schalke 04.
After the game, Müller and Co. celebrated the almost certain league title.
The first of many championship titles within reach
Eleven years later, Müller is a record holder in the Bundesliga in terms of league titles. He has held the Schale aloft ten times – significantly more often than his number of hat-tricks. But the team player has ensured Lewandowski and Co. could shine with hat-tricks for FC Bayern as he is the best provider of recent years in Germany's top flight. Perhaps his teammates could repay him and help Müller to extend his record of hat-tricks.
Here are the key stats for the match against Bochum:
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