Thomas Muller has officially retired from the German national team, bringing to an end a memorable time representing his country.
Muller Says Goodbye To His Nation
The End of an Era for Die Mannschaft
This morning (July 10), Christian Falk of Bild broke the news that Muller would be bringing to an end his time with the national team, 14 years after putting on the jersey for the first time.
Falk also reports that Muller’s departure from the national team will not affect his club duties, the midfielder is expected to fulfill his contract with Bayern Munich, which runs out in 2025.
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Muller’s decision to end his time with Germany comes not long after his nation paid tribute to Toni Kroos, who brought his playing career to a close following Julian Nagelsmann’s side’s Euros quarter-final defeat to Spain last week.
In what has no doubt been a tough past few days for the Germans, they can be comforted by the fact that the likes of Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala will look to take up the mantle left by Kroos and Muller – the latter described as a “legend” by Falk – who have given so much for their country over the past decade.
Muller’s Time With Germany
The 34-year-old made his debut for his country in March 2010 against Argentina, three months before the World Cup in South Africa, a competition which he was subsequently called up for by manager Joachim Low as Die Mannschaft reached the semi-finals, losing out to eventual champions Spain.
Four years later, it was redemption for Muller and Germany as they went all the way in Brazil, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final thanks to a goal from Mario Gotze in extra-time, as they took home their fourth World Cup trophy.
After being crowned champions in Rio de Janeiro, the next few tournaments were bitter pills to swallow for Muller and his country as they lost in the Euro 2016 semi-finals to France and went out in the group stages of the 2018 World Cup.
At Euro 2020, they were dumped out in the Round of 16 by long-time rivals England, and two years later at the Qatar World Cup, they exited the tournament in the group stages once again.
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Fast forward to today and Muller will be pleased that his final appearance for his nation came at a home tournament, despite a heart-breaking extra-time knockout defeat to the Spanish.
Ending his Germany career with 131 caps (third all-time), 45 goals and a World Cup trophy, the Bayern man will surely look back on his international career with immense pride having given everything for his country.
