Thomas Müller

Thomas Müller (German pronunciation: [ˈtʰoː.mas ˈmʏ.lɐ]; born 13 September 1989) is a German footballer who plays for Bayern Munich and the German national team. Müller plays as a midfielder or forward, and has been deployed in a variety of attacking roles – as an attacking midfielder, second striker, centre forward and on either wing. He has been praised for his positioning, team work and stamina, and has shown consistency in scoring and creating goals. A product of Bayern's youth system, he made his first-team breakthrough in the 2009–10 season after Louis van Gaal was appointed as the main coach; he played almost every game as the club won the league and cup double and reached the Champions League final. Müller scored 23 goals in the 2012–13 season as Bayern won a historic treble; the league title, cup and Champions League. Müller earned a call-up to the German national team in 2010. At the 2010 World Cup he scored five goals in six appearances as Germany finished in third place. He was named the Best Young Player of the tournament and won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer, with five goals and three assists. At the 2014 World Cup he played a major role in helping the team win the trophy, scoring five goals and receiving the Silver Boot as the tournament's second top goalscorer, and was also named in the World Cup All Star XI. Contents Club career Early career Bayern Munich 2010–11 season 2011–12 season 2012–13 season 2013–14 season 2014–15 season International career 2010 World Cup Euro 2012 2014 World Cup Style of play Personal life Career statistics Club International International goals Honours Club Country Individual References External links Club career Edit Early career Edit Born in Weilheim, Müller played as a youth for TSV Pähl, and at the age of 10[4] he made the 50 km journey to join local Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in 2000.[2] He progressed through the youth system and was part of the team that finished runner-up in the Under 19 Bundesliga in 2007.[5] He made his debut for the reserve team in March 2008 when he replaced Stephan Fürstner in a Regionalliga match against SpVgg Unterhaching,[6] 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[7] and scored 15 times to make him the league's fifth top scorer.[8] He also became involved in the first-team under then manager Jürgen Klinsmann; he appeared in pre-season friendlies,[9][10] 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.[11] Despite Müller feeling that his performance did not go well,[12] he made three more Bundesliga appearances that season[7] and made his Champions League debut on 10 March 2009 when he was substituted on in the 72nd minute for Bastian Schweinsteiger in a 7–1 win over Sporting CP. He scored Bayern's last goal as they won the tie 12–1 on aggregate.[13] Bayern Munich Edit See also: 2009–10 FC Bayern Munich season In February 2009, Müller signed his first contract for the senior team, a two-year deal effective from the 2009–10 season, along with reserve team-mate Holger Badstuber.[14] He was prepared to be loaned or even transferred away to find first-team football,[12] but when Louis van Gaal was appointed manager, both players became fixtures in the Bayern first team from the start of the season.[15] In the first few matches Müller was a regular substitute, and on 12 September 2009, he was brought on against Borussia Dortmund and scored t