Report: DFB planning a testimonial match for Müller, Boateng, and Hummels

On March 3, 2019, as Bayern Munich was in a battle to defend their Bundesliga title, Jogi Löw showed up to Bayern’s training grounds unannounced and told three Bayern and Germany veterans that they would no longer be called up for national team duty. Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng, and Mats Hummels, at 30, 31, and 31 respectively, were told that their national team is going to move on without them.

Almost ten months later, nothing has changed. However, Bild (Paywall) is reporting that the German Football Association (DFB) is planning a testimonial match in 2020 for the three legends to have a chance to say goodbye. The plans point to the game taking place after Euro 2020 in the summer.

The question remains: would the three players want such a game in 2020? Many, including the players themselves, have said that they believe that they still have more to give to their national team, especially Müller and Hummels. A game like this would be like a double-edged sword. Although they very much deserve this honor, they would be accepting the fate that Jogi has handed them.

Of course all of this is just hearsay. We have not heard much from the three players. All three avoid questions from the media about the topic and won’t confirm that any talks have taken place with the DFB or Jogi. However, when asked if every is in order between them, Jogi answered “I think so, yeah.” and “We all send each other Christmas cards.”

We may have to wait until after Euro 2020 to know how this will end. Who knows, maybe Jogi won’t be coaching after this summer and Hummels and Müller will be called back into action to help Germany in the World Cup Qualifiers and Final in the coming years. Or maybe all sides will be stubborn enough that these legends won’t ever get their proper sendoff.