He sits on a park bench in the middle of the Allianz Arena pitch. Alone in his ‘living room’. No jersey, no ball, no applause – just Thomas Müller looking into the empty stands and saying: “Who could have a redder heart – in the sense of FC Bayern – than me?” In the new documentary ‘The Original 25’, which is available to watch from Friday evening on FC Bayern TV, the club’s record appearance maker looks back over his unique career at FCB – honest, personal, without pathos but with a lot of heart.
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A career for the ages
From his first steps at the Grünwalder Stadion to World Cup glory in 2014, from the Finale dahoam in 2012 to the 8-2 win over Barcelona and the sextuple in 2020: the documentary shows the stages of a career that no one would’ve predicted – not even he himself. “In the early years, I wasn’t sure if I was really good enough for the top level,” says Müller openly. Hermann Gerland, Louis van Gaal, Jupp Heynckes, Pep Guardiola and Hansi Flick – they all shaped his journey, just as the setbacks, doubt and ability to keep motivating himself again and again.
Coaching greats on the ‘Raumdeuter’
“Thomas has had an incredible career, which no one could have foreseen,” says Gerland about the FCB icon. “Nobody can copy Thomas Müller,” adds Jürgen Klinsmann, while van Gaal saw the potential in him early on. “You followed Louis, he was a leader,” recalls Müller. In Donaueschingen in summer 2009, nobody wanted his autograph yet, reports Andries Jonker, van Gaal’s assistant at the time – a year later he won the Golden Boot at the World Cup. His goal in the Finale dahoam was a “moment of redemption” for him, the 2013 treble win a symbol of an era. “The 2012/13 season was characterised by a dominance, an energy and a joy, the like of which we’d rarely seen before and rarely seen since.”
„Who could have a redder heart – in the sense of FC Bayern – than me?”
Thomas Müller on his love for FC Bayern
Guardiola admits in the film: “I needed a bit of time to understand him as a player.” Meanwhile, he really flourished again under Flick. “Within three quarters of a year, we developed out of great difficulties into an absolute dominant force,” describes Müller. “We utterly dominated the Bundesliga, it was like a frenzy.”
Cool Müller gets emotional
Amidst all these insights: archive footage, childhood nostalgia and exclusive video material. Companions such as Joshua Kimmich, Philipp Lahm, Jamal Musiala and Manuel Neuer recall Müller's influence on generations – as a player, role model and personality. It gets particularly emotional when Müller talks about Neuer or playfully counters the myth of his supposed invincibility with the ‘Popeye effect’. “I feel a tremendous appreciation across the country,” he says – and he means it.
The end of his 25 years at FC Bayern are marked by his final home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach, his final Bundesliga game at Hoffenheim, the Club World Cup – and a final letter at the end of the documentary. A thank-you to the fans, a tribute to long-standing companions, a declaration of love in red. Anyone who want to understand why Thomas Müller is more than goals and trophies should watch this film.
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