Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl said on Sunday that parting ways with club icon Thomas Müller was unanimously agreed upon with a view on the future of the squad.
Eberl also admitted on Sport1 TV that he wasn't "clever" in the run-up to Satuday's announcement that forward Müller would not get a new contract after 25 years at the club.
"This is a decision for the future of FC Bayern," he said, adding they know that "we won't get any kind of applause for it."
Eberl said that the sporting leadership he is part of "made the decision that we didn't want to extend his contract and agreed this with the board."
He said the matter was then discussed with all areas of the club leadership "because Thomas Müller is not an ordinary player" but "a legend."
Eberl said it was unanimously agreed not to renew the contract of Müller who has played only sporadically this season, and even less since January.
He said he informed the 35-year-old Müller last month after three sleepless nights.
Müller's career at Bayern will end after the Club World Cup where he could a final trophy to the 33 he already has in a first-team career spanning 17 years and so far a club record 743 matches.
Müller said on Saturday he wanted to continue but respected the decision. Eberl said Müller was disappointed and upset after learning his fate but at the same time disn't want any kind of "folkore contract" either.
Eberl admitted he didn't do anyone a favour when he suggested in January that no proper contract talks would be needed and "when he says he wants to continue we will look each other in the eye, check the squad and then it will continue."
This indicated that Müller would just have to yes to a new deal, and Eberl admitted to plenty of emotions when the outcome became clear.
"Maybe I wasn't that clever to say that. But at that moment I wasn't smart either, because I was simply emotional because I couldn't even imagine a Bundesliga, an FC Bayern without Thomas Müller at that time," Eberl said.
