Thomas Muller’s 25-Year Bayern Journey Ends

After the final whistle of the Club World Cup, Thomas Müller waved to Bayern Munich fans one last time, marking the end of his 25-year journey with the German club.

The 35-year-old’s farewell was a mix of pride and sadness as Bayern lost 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals.

Müller came on as a substitute in the 80th minute. In stoppage time, PSG’s Nuno Mendes made a challenge that initially looked like a penalty, but replays showed he got the ball. The contact came close to Müller’s face but didn’t hit him, and PSG’s win was confirmed.

“I’m still in work mode,” said Müller after the match. “We gave it our best shot. I tried to help the team move forward. It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

This was Müller’s final match for Bayern Munich. Despite the emotional goodbye, he hasn’t taken time yet to reflect deeply on his legendary career. He joined Bayern at age 10 in the year 2000.

“In the end, maybe we deserved more,” he said. “But football is like a coin toss. Sometimes it’s your day, sometimes it’s your opponent’s. Today we lost.”

Müller holds the record for the most appearances for Bayern. He scored over 200 goals and assisted over 200 more, helping the club win a record 13 Bundesliga titles. He ends this season with one last league title.

However, in April, Bayern decided not to renew his high-paying contract for the next season.

“Of course, I know this was my final game,” Müller said. “I’ll take a few days to see how I feel.”

He hasn’t announced his next move, though there are rumors he might join Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States.

“I’m not ready to talk about my future yet,” he added. “Right now, we’ve just lost a very important game. That’s what’s on my mind.”