Thomas Muller's wave to the Bayern Munich supporters at the end of their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final match against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) marked an emotional farewell gesture from the German legend.
After more than two decades with the club that shaped his career, Muller has officially closed a historic chapter with Die Roten.
Now 35 years old, Muller made a brief appearance as an 80th-minute substitute in a match that ended in a 2-0 defeat for Bayern on Saturday night (July 5, 2025, local time). His farewell was tinged with late-match VAR drama.
In stoppage time, Muller appeared to be fouled in the box by PSG’s Nuno Mendes. However, video replay showed that Mendes made contact with the ball before his follow-through nearly caught Muller on the chin. The final decision: no penalty ending Bayern’s hopes of a comeback.
"I'm still fully in work mode," Muller said after the game.
"It didn’t feel much different from before the match. We gave it a try I gave it a try to push one round further."
Muller refrained from diving into nostalgia about his illustrious Bayern career, which began when he joined the club's youth academy as a 10-year-old in the summer of 2000.
"In the end, maybe we deserved more," he added.
"But football matches like this often come down to a coin toss, and this time, it didn’t fall our way."
With over 200 goals and more than 200 assists, Thomas Muller retires as the most capped player in Bayern Munich’s history. He played a pivotal role in leading the club to an unprecedented 13 Bundesliga titles, including one final triumph last season to cap off his domestic journey.
In April, Bayern confirmed they would not be extending Muller’s high-value contract, effectively signaling the end of an era at the Allianz Arena.
"Of course, I'm aware this was my final match," he acknowledged.
"I'll take a few days to process everything and see where my thoughts lead me."
Muller has yet to announce his next career move, though reports suggest he is considering offers from Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States.
"Right now, I’m not in the frame of mind to reflect deeply on my career," he said.
"We’ve just lost a big game a very important one for us."
