Julius OkorieGerman football icon and tireless war horse, Thomas Muller, has confirmed his retirement from international football after a not-too-impressive Euro 2024 outing.
Thomas Muller played for virtually all of Germany’s age-grade teams before he was promoted to the country’s senior team on March 3, 2010
Join our WhatsApp ChannelDespite playing mostly as a second striker, the 34-year-old Bayern Munich forward recorded 45 international goals in 131 appearances, in all competitions for Germany.
In his first FIFA World Cup appearance (South Africa 2010), Muller shocked the world as he emerged as the tournament’s highest goalscorer with five goals.
Four years later, Muller led Germany to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup but couldn’t reciprocate the achievement on the continent.
Just like Toni Kroos and other German veterans, Thomas Muller thought he could help Germany win the Euro 2024 as the host of the tournament. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
The eventual winners of the tournament, Spain, knocked the hosts out of the competition in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 scoreline.
Hence, Kroos retired from football entirely after Germany’s exit, but Thomas Muller has decided to remain in club football while he retires from the international scene.
In his retirement announcement, Muller posted a picture of himself in Germany’s national team jersey and holding the country’s flag. He captioned it with “Time to say goodbye”.
“When I got given the chance to make my international debut over 14 years ago, I never could have dreamt of what was to come,” said Müller in a video message. “After 131 games and 45 goals, it’s time to say ‘Servus’ to the eagle on my chest. I’ve experienced incredible wins and painful defeats with the national team, sometimes being left down and out only to rise up again. I’ve played against the best players in the world alongside fantastic teammates, who I have shared so many unforgettable moments with.”
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Muller The Motivator On And Off The Pitch
President of Germany Football Federation ( DFB) Bernd Neuendorf, hails Muller and his contribution to the national team and to football. “Thomas Müller is an incredible footballer in every sense – he’s a model professional and a great guy.His performances and titles speak for themselves. With his goals and his flair, he played a key role in one of the most successful periods of the national team’s history, which was crowned with the 2014 World Cup win in Brazil. I have always admired Thomas Müller’s footballing abilities, but also his down-to-earth nature, his humour and his intelligence. Thomas Müller the player will be missed in our team, and Thomas Müller the person will be missed at least just as much.”
Muller who joined FC Bayern Munich’s youth system in 2004, has never played for any other club at the senior level all his career. His contract with the German giants will expire on June 30, 2025.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
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