Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller retires from international football

Bayern and Germany legend Thomas Müller has confirmed on his social media that he will be retiring from the German national team.

Müller made his debut for Germany in 2010, and was a big part of the Germany roster that finished third at the World Cup in South Africa later that year, scoring five goals and winning the golden boot. He then scored a further five goals at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, this time only enough for the silver boot but more importantly, helping Germany to triumph at the Maracanã.

After two World Cups, and at the age of just 24, Müller had ten World Cup goals, placing him just six behind fellow World Cup winning team-mate Miroslav Klose, yet he will finish his career with the same amount. Müller was unable to score at either the 2018 or 2022 editions of the World Cup, as Germany were knocked out at the group stage. So a weird quirk is that Müller and Germany played the maximum of seven games possible in his first two World Cups, and the minimum of three in his final two World Cups.

Another interesting stat is that for all of his early prolific World Cup form, Müller wasn't able to score at the European Championship, despite playing in all of the 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 editions. Although his game-time was very limited at the 2024 tournament on home soil. His miss against England in the last 16 of the 2020 tournament remains infamous.

Despite a strange 3 year exile under Joachim Löw, the Bayern number 25 was still able to conjure up an impressive 131 appearances and 45 goals for Germany. These numbers put him third for appearances, only behind Lothar Matthäus (150), and Miroslav Klose (137), and joint 6th for goals (with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge).

Thomas Müller enjoyed an incredible international career, and he can now be fully focused on the goals ahead with Bayern Munich next season in what could well be his last campaign with the club.