Thomas Müller
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 6/2014
Personal information
Full name:
Thomas Müller
Date of birth:
13 September 1989
Place of birth:
Weilheim, West Germany
Height:
1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position:
Forward / Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club:
Bayern Munich
Number:
25
Youth career
TSV Pähl:
1993-2000
Bayern Munich:
2000-2008
Senior career*
Bayern Munich II:
2008-2009
35x apps / 16x goals
Bayern Munich:
2008-
165x apps / 58x goals
National team
Germany U16:
2004-2005
6x apps / 0x goals
Germany U19:
2007
3x apps / 0x goals
Germany U20:
2008
1x apps / 1x goals
Germany U21:
2009
6x apps / 1x goals
Germany:
2010-
51x apps / 20x goals
* (appearances, national team caps and goals correct as of 21:08, 21 June 2014 / UTC)
Thomas Müller, 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, 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.
This accomplishment earned Müller a call-up to the German national team.
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.
He also scored Bayern's only goal in the Champions League final in 2012, with the team eventually losing on penalties.
Playing style
Müller's role can be described as an attacking all-rounder, a player able to play in a variety of forward positions.
As he came through the youth system, he was seen primarily as a midfielder, but since breaking into the first-team he has been used in more forward roles.
Both Bayern Munich and the Germany national team usually play a 4-2-3-1 formation, and Müller is most often part of the three attacking midfielders behind the central striker.
He can play in any of the attacking midfield roles but usually plays in the center for Bayern Munich, and on the right for Germany.
He has been used as an out-and-out striker on occasion.
Müller has been praised for his maturity, pace, technique, awareness and positioning.
He has been particularly noted for his composure; Germany manager Joachim Löw said he is "impervious to pressure" and former Bayern manager Louis van Gaal said he has tremendous mental strength.
A consistent scorer and creator of goals, he describes himself as a player who can find gaps in the opposition defence but not particularly good at dribbling or one-on-ones.
Müller describes this role as Raumdeuter, a term that translates to "interpreter of space".
During 2014 World Cup, Germany manager Joachim Löw stated that Müller "is a very unorthodox player and you can't really predict his lines of running, but he has one aim and that is 'how can I score a goal?".