GGFN Advent Calendar | Day 25 – Mr Christmas, Thomas Müller | OneFootball

Welcome back to the Get German Football News advent calendar. As the countdown to Christmas comes to a halt, our festive fun on Christmas Day does not, as we remember how Thomas Müller has been able to make the number 25 shirt at Bayern Munich so special.

Born in the south of Bavaria in 1989, Müller signed for Bayern at the age of ten before progressing through the club’s youth system. After establishing himself in the 3. Liga with Der Rekordmiester’s reserve side during the 2008–09 season, Müller made his Bayern debut with a ten-minute cameo against Hamburg on August 15, 2008.

Donning the famous number 25 from that day onwards, Müller never altered the numbering on his back, becoming a Bayern legend in the process. Under the management of Louis van Gaal, Müller would become a regular feature for Bayern during the 2009/10 campaign, eventually lifting his first Bundesliga title as well as the DFB-Pokal as Der Rekordmeister completed the domestic double.

However, success would allude Bayern and Müller for the next two years, as Borussia Dortmund became almost unstoppable under Jürgen Klopp. Nevertheless, from the 2012–13 season onwards, Bayern have been the most dominant club side in Europe, claiming eleven straight Bundesliga crowns.

With Müller everpresent throughout all of their success, it is hard to imagine Bayern Munich without Thomas Müller. Nobody quite sums up what it means to be Bayern like Müller does, and when a new deal for the now-34-year-old was announced earlier this month, the whole of Bavaria smiled simultaneously.

Crowning his new contract with a remarkable performance against Wolfsburg on matchday 16, it is fair to say that Müller is ageing like a fine wine. With the Raumdeuter remaining in Munich until the end of next season, further success undoubtedly remains on the cards.

However, until then, Müller can boast about claiming 12 Bundesliga titles, 6 DFB-Pokals, 8 German Super Cups, 2 Champions League titles, 2 UEFA Supercups, and 2 FIFA Club World Cups. It certainly is quite the trophy cabinet for Mr Christmas, Thomas Müller.

GGFN | Will Shopland