Thomas Müller faced several temptations to leave Bayern Munich for perceived better opportunities, notably from Hoffenheim and Manchester United. Initially, under coach Jürgen Klinsmann, Müller felt uncertain about his position and was openly pursued by Hoffenheim, who were performing well in the Bundesliga. Later, in 2019 under Niko Kovač, he considered transferring again due to limited playing time. Acknowledging his perceived limitations in speed and technique, Müller emphasized how these challenges forced him to develop creativity that contributed to his long-term success at Bayern.
"Right at the beginning, after my first professional appearance on the first match day of the 2008/2009 season. After that, I noticed that the coach at the time [Klinsmann] didn't know what to do with me. I was ambitious and had played a great first half of the season in the third division for the second team. During the winter break, TSG Hoffenheim really wanted me. At the time, they were an up-and-coming team, top of the Bundesliga table, level on points with Bayern. But they only had four attacking players. I would probably have played a lot. I decided to stay anyway."
"I also considered a transfer in autumn 2019 under Niko Kovač. I told the club [in 2019] that if my situation didn't change, I would like to look into the option of a transfer in winter. I was too impatient to play the role of substitute. The club's response was that we would talk again in December. That didn't happen."
"Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said that my technique and my dribbling are average and that I'm not particularly fast. He's not wrong. I would never have been at the top of the athletics club. But that's exactly what helped me. Because others were more athletic, I had to be creative throughout my youth, otherwise I would never have made it to the top."
Collection
[
|
...
]