There is one more name to remember in a fascinating World Cup story: Thomas Müller

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the most eye-catching players when it comes to the possibility of setting new records in FIFA World Cup history, but there is one more name to remember in this fascinating story: Thomas Müller.

The German player already has legendary status at Bayern Munich, where he has been playing professionally for 14 years and is also on track to become one of the World Cup’s all-time greats.

The 33-year-old has notched 10 goals over three editions of the World Cup after making his debut at the 2010 edition, held in South Africa. He even scored more goals than Messi and Ronaldo, who played in four editions of the World Cup.

He scored the first five goals in 2010, and the next five goals were scored in the 2014 edition, held in Brazil, when Germany became world champions. In 2018, Thomas Müller was no longer on the goalscoring list, but his team also left the competition early, still after the group stage.

After the disappointment of the FIFA World Cup in Russia 2018, Germany are back with the aim of getting revenge and making their mark on the tournament, as they have done on most occasions in the competition’s history. And Thomas Müller will, of course, have his role in this story.

Each accomplishment of the Bayern player will bring him even closer to the giant names of FIFA World Cup history. He would need 2 more goals to equal the great Pele and thus enter the Top 5 all-time scorers. To be equal with Miroslav Klose, another famous German striker who holds the record for goals scored in the history of the FIFA ​​World Cup, he would need 6 more goals. Today, the Bavarian footballer is tied with Gary Linekar, Gabriel Batistuta, Grzegorz Lato, Teofilo Cubillas and compatriot Helmut Rahn, in 8th place.

Another chapter where Thomas Müller can enter the history books is the number of matches played. If Die Mannschaft make it to the final weekend in Qatar and Müller is on the pitch every time, he will reach 23 games in total. Today, only two players have more than 23 matches at world football’s biggest event, both of whom are also German: Lothar Matthäus (25) and Miroslav Klose (24).

In the first 14 games of the season, Thomas Müller directly contributed to 9 goals, scored 3 times and provided 6 assists in matches for Bayern Munich in all competitions.

The Bavarian player is today a reference name in Germany, he has extraordinary qualities, but at the same time he is perhaps one of the most underrated players of his generation, as many people in football have appreciated. With 53 goals, he is now in 7th place all-time at the number of goals scored in the UEFA Champions League. And all were scored for the same club, Bayern Munich. The others who scored at least 50 goals did so for two or more clubs.

He has always been a loyal player to the club with whom he won the UEFA Champions League in 2013 and 2020, although he has had a lot of offers from other clubs. In addition to being a goalscorer, Thomas Müller is also a creator. According to transfermarkt, in 729 career games played, he scored 272 goals and provided 254 assists. The numbers prove that he was also a very good teammate.

This year, Thomas Müller signed a new two-year deal with Bayern Munich to keep him at the club until 2024. With all the years spent in the academy of the Bavarians, he will therefore reach 24 years in total dedicated one hundred percent to Bayern. When asked why he decided to stay at FC Bayern “forever”, Müller replied:

“That’s a simple answer because I have everything I enjoy here in professional soccer. I can’t judge what it’s like elsewhere. But here I definitely know that I’m playing for titles – both nationally and internationally. We’ve won a lot of championships over the past ten to 15 years and have always played for Europe’s crown. Accordingly, the conditions on the sporting side are super and by no means boring.”

All Thomas Müller’s thoughts are now on the FIFA World Cup. Even coach Julian Nagelsmann has protected him recently for fitness before Germany’s World Cup duty.

The German star is ready to shine in Qatar, to be at the right place at the right time, as has been his entire career.