He helped shape the German national team for more than 14 years - now one of the greatest players in DFB history is saying goodbye: Thomas Müller announced his retirement from international football on Monday. "It always made me very proud to play for my country. We celebrated together and sometimes shed a tear together," said the forward in a farewell video on YouTube. "When I had the privilege of making my first international appearance over 14 years ago, I would never have dreamed of all this. I would like to say thank you to all the fans and my Germany teammates for their support over the years. Take the enthusiasm and joy of this year's EUROS with you."
Herbert Hainer, president of FC Bayern: "Thomas Müller played for the German national team for over 14 years. He made an incredible 131 international appearances, with his crowning glory coming in 2014 when he won the World Cup. The younger generation doesn't know the national team without Thomas Müller and I can't really imagine it without him. Nevertheless, the time has come: with the retirement of Thomas Müller, one of the all-time greats has taken off the DFB jersey for good. On behalf of football fans everywhere, I would like to thank Thomas for his superb performances and the style-defining way he played for the national team. And as president of FC Bayern, I'm delighted that Thomas will continue to play for our club."
Müller made his debut for the German national team on 3 March 2010 in a 1-0 defeat to Argentina. The forward played in four World Cups and four European Championships with the DFB team. At the 2010 World Cup, in which Germany came third, Müller won the Golden Boot as top scorer and was also voted best young player of the tournament.
World Cup winner in 2014 in Rio
Four years later, he became world champion with Germany in Brazil, and he made a significant contribution with five goals. Müller made a total of 131 international appearances for Germany, making him the most-capped player in DFB history after Lothar Matthäus (150) and Miroslav Klose. With 45 international goals, the born-and-bred Bavarian is also seventh in the DFB's all-time scoring list.
Thomas Müller's DFB career in pictures:
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