Thomas Müller has announced that he will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season following the expiry of his contract in the summer.
It has been speculated for several weeks that Bayern will not renew Müller’s contract in the summer as they look to save money on salary to fund other moves. The decision for Müller to leave has been made.
His statement read:
Servus Bayern fans,
After much speculation about me recently, I would like to take the opportunity to clarify things with this letter to you. Even after all these years, regardless of the minutes I play, I still have a lot of fun being on the pitch with the boys and fighting for titles together for our team. I could well have imagined myself in this role next season as well.
However, the club has consciously decided not to negotiate a new contract with me for next season. Even though this was not in line with my personal wishes, it is important that the club follows its convictions. I respect this step, which the board and supervisory board certainly did not take lightly.
I understandably didn’t like the back and forth in public over the past weeks and months. However, I feel the same way about my game: It wasn’t always characterized by perfection either, but rather a positive, forward-thinking approach to the next move. After a misplaced pass, it’s important to win the ball back with team unity. We’ve achieved that in this matter over the past few days through trusting discussions. N
ow our full focus is on our sporting goals for the season. It would be a dream for me to bring the league title back home and reach the long-awaited Champions League final at home at the end of May. I will give it my all!
Thank you for everything that has been and for everything that is still to come. Always forward, FC Bayern!
Your Thomas
Bayern have announced that Müller has signed a short-term contract extension until the end of July 2025, which means he will be able to play in the Club World Cup. Abendzeitung reports that after the expiry of his contract, Bayern will then help Müller find a new club, which will most likely be in the US.
Müller leaves Bayern as their record appearance, a two-time Champions League winner, 12x Bundesliga winner, 6x DFB Pokal winner and a World Cup winner as well. He is the epitome of everything about Bayern as he comes from the Bavarian countryside and was a Bayern fan growing up.
The 35-year-old has the chance of getting the perfect farewell with Bayern currently six points clear of Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, while they also have the chance of reaching the Champions League final,l which will be played at the Allianz Arena.
How have Bayern handled the situation?
Regardless of whether you think the decision to now renew Müller’s contract is right or wrong, the way Bayern have handled the whole situation has been rather poor, especially ...
