Even losses can't stop legends! Thomas Müller played his 600th competitive game for FC Bayern in the 2-1 reverse against FC Augsburg on Friday evening. He has left his mark on the Munich team like no other since he made his debut. Müller is symbolic of the record champions - for more than twelve years. And now he's become the first outfield player since promotion to the Bundesliga to play 600 Bayern games. So far, only goalkeeping legends Sepp Maier and Oliver Kahn had broken this ceiling.
From TSV Pähl to FC Bayern
More than 21 years ago, Müller, who was born in Weilheim, moved from TSV Pähl to FC Bayern's youth team and from then on moved up through the club's age groups. On 15 August 2008, he made his competitive debut for FCB's first team in a 2-2 draw at home to Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga. After that, he mainly played for the second-string reserves in the third tier.
Breakthrough under van Gaal
Müller made his breakthrough the following season. New head coach Louis van Gaal coined the phrase "Müller always plays" and put it impressively into practice. The lanky attacker played in 52 of 53 games and more than repaid the trust placed in him. Müller scored 19 goals, provided 16 assists and won the domestic double that season. A 2-0 defeat in the UCL final against Inter Milan denied him and FCB the treble.
The Crown
However, Müller continued to dream the dream of a treble with his club and finally he was rewarded. In the 2012/13 season, he was part of the team that won a sensational treble, the first in the club's history. After numerous other titles, goals and assists, Müller and Bayern went one better in 2020 and 2021. With six trophies in a year, the team wrote their names once more in the history books.
Title winner, goal scorer and assist king
In his 600 games for FC Bayern, Thomas Müller has scored 220 goals and has notched up even more as a provider: the Bavarian native has set up 231 goals. The 32-year-old's title cabinet with FCB is even more impressive: ten-time German champion, six-time DFB Cup winner, twice a Champions League winner, twice a FIFA Club World Cup winner, twice a UEFA Supercup winner and seven times a German Supercup winner - the list is almost endless!
The match report:
Topics of this article