Thomas Müller discusses the times he considered leaving Bayern Munich

Thomas Müller made his Bundesliga debut on this day back in 2008 — coming on for Miroslav Klose in the 79^thminute against Hamburger SV. From that day forward, he has been one of the most important players at the club. But life at Bayern Munich hasn’t always been easy for Der Raumdeuter. In an interview given to Der Spiegel, Müller talked about the two occasions when he almost left the club.

The Niko Kovač era at Bayern was very challenging for Müller. He lost his spot in the starting XI to Barcelona loanee Philippe Coutinho and was made a substitute for six games in a row. He said, “Twice. Most recently in 2019. I wasn’t starting. And the team could’ve been successful without me. Not every team necessarily needs Thomas Müller to win. If it came down to that, I’d have wanted to move.”

Soon after Kovač left the club, Hansi Flick took over and proved why Bayern necessarily need Müller to win. 2020 was a highlight for both the player himself and the club — winning six titles in a single season.

“The second time was in 2015, when Manchester United wanted to sign me. Maybe I would have moved. But I still had a few years of contract and Bayern clearly told me they wouldn’t sell me, not even for the 120 million Euros fee that was quoted. The door was closed and for me it was okay. Who wouldn’t want to hear from his club that they are fully relying on him,” added Müller.

Thomas Müller is the face of not just the club but the whole of Bavaria. It would’ve been really painful for Bayern fans if he had actually left the club. It’s a new season under a new manager and there’s everything to look forward to. Will Müller have a successful season under Julian Nagelsmann? We certainly hope so.

(Quotes via @iMiaSanMia on Twitter)