When Jürgen Klinsmann gave a young Thomas Müller his final instructions before coming off the bench on 15 August 2008, few could have predicted the great career that was launched that day. As Bayern opened the new season at home to Hamburg at the Allianz Arena, Müller’s introduction was almost a sidenote. But he’s gone on to become a leading figure in the annals of German football.
Now, 6,101 days later, the boyhood Bayern fan again came off the bench, this time against Mainz, to make his 500th appearance in the Bundesliga – all for his club. No player had ever before played that many league games for the Bavarians, and Müller is only the fourth player to reach 500 Bundesliga games for a single team after Karl-Heinz Körbel (602 for Eintracht Frankfurt), Manfred Kaltz (581 for HSV) and Michael Lameck (518 for Bochum).
Eberl: “A unique career”
“The numbers he’s produced are simple amazing,” said Max Eberl on the eve of the Mainz game. “You see the trophies he’s won but above all the number of games he’s played. He’s someone who’s basically never been injured. You see that in all his stats,” the board member for sport added. “Whether it’s games, goals or trophies, it’s extraordinary. It can't be overstated. It's a unique career.”
The list of records Müller has set over the course of his Bundesliga career is lengthy. He’s the most decorated player in the league’s history as a 12-time champion, with a 13th seemingly only a matter of time. The 35-year-old has won 360 of his 500 games, which is also the most of any player. Apart from his maiden campaign, he has scored in every single Bundesliga season for Bayern – a run that stands at 16 years. Bernd Nickel (Frankfurt) and Michael Zorc (Borussia Dortmund) are the only other players who’ve done that for a single club, with only Kaltz able to top them with 17 seasons.
Top provider with a killer instinct
A total of 132 players have had the pleasure of playing alongside Müller in the Bundesliga. Many of those have been beneficiaries of one of his assists. As well as the 150 goals he’s scored in Germany’s top flight, Bayern’s No.25 has also set up another 173, which is the most by any player in the division since his debut in 2008.
It’s been a long and above all glorious journey for Müller since that day. All of his teammates from back then have long hung up their boots, but there is still one man from that game who he sees regularly. Vincent Kompany played for HSV on that occasion – his last game as a player in the Bundesliga before moving to England. Now they’re working together to earn the club its 34th championship before Müller moves on.
A look back at Müller’s unique career:
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