„I would have liked to stay…“: Müller talks about leaving Bayern | OneFootball

Thomas Müller has left FC Bayern – quietly, reflectively and with the mixture of honesty and self-irony that has made him one of the most influential figures in German soccer over the years. In an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the 35-year-old now talks in detail about his departure from the record champions and gives a deep insight. These are words that show that this departure was not a break, but a deliberate step – emotionally well thought-out and sportingly honest

„Despite my changed role at FC Bayern, I felt very comfortable,“ Müller explains in retrospect. Words that make you sit up and take notice, because his situation had clearly changed recently in sporting terms. The long-time fixture in Munich’s attacking play was no longer a fixture under Vincent Kompany and his role became smaller. Nevertheless, Müller emphasises that he continued to enjoy team life. „I really enjoyed being part of the team and would have liked to stay,“ he says openly

It is precisely this honesty that makes it clear how difficult it was for him to say goodbye. Müller could have imagined a different sporting outcome, but he consciously decided against another six months in a supporting role. Not out of spite, but out of the need to experience something new once again

Vancouver as an emotional turning point

photo: IMAGO

The move to Vancouver came as a surprise to many observers, but for Müller himself it was a decisive impulse. Looking back, he draws a clear conclusion: „Emotionally, the adventure in Vancouver probably gave me more as a footballer than a first half of the season at FC Bayern as a team player.“ This statement sums up his decision in a nutshell

Müller was not just looking for playing time, but a new feeling – a new environment, new impulses, new responsibility. In Vancouver, he found exactly that – far away from the familiar Munich microcosm, but closer to himself. The move abroad was an emotional enrichment for him, which helped him to see his departure from FC Bayern not as a loss, but as a development

The connection to FC Bayern remains

Despite the sporting farewell, Müller never broke off contact with the club close to his heart. „I never really lost touch with the club,“ he says. Phone calls with former teammates, messages with those in charge – the exchange continues. Müller didn’t just leave, he closed a chapter without cutting the connection

What is particularly important to him is how the farewell went. No silent handover of keys, no emotionless departure. „My farewell was exactly how you would imagine it to be romantically,“ Müller describes. The farewell parties, the conversations, the appreciation – all of this contributed to the fact that he was able to leave with a good feeling

Müller left FC Bayern in the way he had shaped it over the years: honestly, humanely and without any grand staging. His words show no resentment, but gratitude. Gratitude for a unique career in Munich – and for the freedom to decide for himself at the end when it was time for something new.