"Maybe I will decide to end my career" - Thomas Müller on leaving Bayern Munich
In a wide-ranging interview with US broadcaster CBS Sports, Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller spoke about a number of topics, including his departure from his boyhood club, and revealed he could soon hang up his playing boots if he doesn't find the "perfect solution".
Müller was most recently competing with Bayern at the FIFA Club World Cup until the team's elimination from the tournament at the quarter-final stage. He is now a free agent after the Bavarians decided not to extend his contract.
Speaking about his immediate future, the 35-year-old said, "I want to figure it out in the next couple of weeks. But if there is not the perfect solution for me, maybe I will decide to end my career. Let’s see what happens. I try to feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations as well."
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This new chapter comes following a 17-year stint with the record German champions. While Müller was eager to remain at the club, he holds no grudges towards the decision-makers and also shedded extra light on the situation.
"In the end, it didn't hurt me. The relationship between a club and a player – no matter how special it is – is based on business or football decisions," Müller explained.
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Müller's trophy cabinet is fit to burst, with 13 Bundesliga titles, two UEFA Champions Leagues and one FIFA World Cup among his collection. Yet it is his goal against Chelsea in the 2012 Champions League final at the Allianz Arena - a game that Bayern went on to lose on penalties - that he picked out as the "craziest moment" of his career.
"It was at home in Munich, and there was so much tension going into the final. We were dominant but we didn’t score. And then I scored in the 83rd minute, and it was just an explosion in the stadium and the city. When you look into the eyes of my teammates and mine – it was the most intense moment of my career."
Even if Müller continues to play beyond this summer, he is in the twilight of his career and will one day need to do something besides playing football. However, it seems he is not yet sure what he wants to do once he hangs up his boots.
“I’m very open-minded for everything that comes. I always try to focus on what is immediately next," the Bayern legend explained. "Now I’m a football player. I only think about preparing for training tomorrow. I try not to think too much about my future. When the day comes that I stop, I want to understand exactly what it is that I miss about football."
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