Thomas Müller

Early career

Müller played as a youth for TSV Pähl, and at the age of 10 he made the 50-kilometre (31 mi) journey to join local Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in 2000. He progressed through the youth system and was part of the team that finished runner-up in the Under 19 Bundesliga in 2007. Growing up, his favorite player was Giovane Élber.

Bayern Munich

Müller made his debut for the reserve team in March 2008 when he replaced Stephan Fürstner in a Regionalliga match against SpVgg Unterhaching, in which he scored. He made two more Regionalliga appearances in the 2007–08 season, while continuing to play for the under-19 team. The following season, Bayern's second string qualified for the newly formed 3. Liga, and Müller established himself as a key player – he played in 32 out of 38 matches and scored 15 times to make him the league's fifth top scorer.

2008–2012: Ascent into senior team and two Champions League final defeats

2008–09 season

Müller became involved in the first-team under then manager Jürgen Klinsmann; he appeared in pre-season friendlies, and made his full debut on 15 August 2008, when he came on as a substitute for Miroslav Klose for the last ten minutes of a Bundesliga match against Hamburger SV. Despite Müller feeling that his performance did not go well, he made three more Bundesliga appearances that season and made his Champions League debut on 10 March 2009 when he was substituted on in the 72nd minute for…

Müller represented Germany at various youth levels, starting with the under-16s in 2004. In August 2009, he was called up to the under-21 team for his debut in a 3–1 friendly defeat against Turkey. He earned six caps for the under-21s and scored one goal, the eighth in an 11–0 thrashing of San Marino. In October of the same year, Müller's regular appearances for Bayern's first team caused Germany national team manager Joachim Löw to publicly consider him for a call-up, despite initial reluctance from the Bayern Munich board; the following month, Müller was named in the squad for a friendly against the Ivory Coast. However, this coincided with the death of national team goalkeeper Robert Enke, which led to the cancellation of a match against Chile the same week. With less opportunity to try out new players, and with the under-21 team facing crucial qualifiers for the 2011 European Championship, Löw and under-21 manager Rainer Adrion felt that Müller was needed at the under-21 level, and Müller was called back into the under-21s. He was back in the senior squad for its next get-together, a training session in Sindelfingen in January 2010, and was named in the squad for the following match, a friendly against Argentina in March. He made his debut in this game in the starting XI at the Allianz Arena, his home stadium with Bayern. He was substituted in the 66th minute for fellow debutant Toni Kroos as Germany lost 1–0.

2010 FIFA World Cup

Müller was named in Germany's…

Müller is a versatile player. In Bayern's youth system, he primarily played as a midfielder, but transitioned to playing as an attacker after joining the first team. When Bayern Munich usually employed a 4–2–3–1 formation, Müller played as one of three attacking midfielders behind the central striker, with an alternative role as a second striker. His skill set has been described as unorthodox by former Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti - Müller has never been particularly renowned for his athleticism, technique, ball control, dribbling or pace, qualities typically associated with attackers. Instead, he is widely praised for his tactical intelligence, finishing, and positioning. German editor Uli Hesse of The Guardian wrote of Müller that, though he cannot "beat you" with his close ball control, pace or dribbling skills, "he just beats you". Former Germany manager Joachim Löw said he is "impervious to pressure" and former Bayern manager Louis van Gaal said he has tremendous mental strength. Müller is heavily involved in buildup play and he has been praised by the media for his intelligent movement off the ball; he describes himself as a player who can find spaces in the opposition defence but not particularly good at dribbling or one-on-ones. Müller describes this role as Raumdeuter, a term which translates, literally, to "space interpreter". During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Löw said Müller "is a very unorthodox player and you can't really predict his lines of running, but he has…

Müller was born in Weilheim in Oberbayern, Bavaria. He was raised in the nearby village of Pähl, which became the centre of media attention during his 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign. His parents are Klaudia and Gerhard, and he has a brother, Simon, who is two and a half years younger. Müller married his long-time girlfriend Lisa Trede, a semi-professional equestrienne who works on a farm, in December 2009 after being engaged for two years. In June 2026, Müller and his wife Lisa announced their separation. In June 2011, he became an ambassador for YoungWings, a charity that helps children who have suffered bereavement or trauma. In August 2026, Müller became an investor and shareholder in the German investment group that acquired 90% of Portuguese club Estrela da Amadora for €40 million, alongside Mats Hummels, Yann Sommer and Lucas Hernandez.