Football legend Thomas Müller signs for Vancouver Whitecaps
Chuck Penfold
August 6, 2025
Thomas Müller has signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer. It's an unorthodox move for arguably one of the most effective unorthodox players in football history.
Thomas Müller won ever trophy possible with Bayern Munich. Can he push Vancouver over the top?Image: Frank Hoermann/Sven Simon/IMAGO
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When Thomas Müller announced recently in an Instagram post that his next career move would be "across the big pond," it was quickly reported that the bright lights of Los Angeles would be his destination.
However, the soon to be 36-year-old, who has made a career of surprising opponents on the pitch, caught nobody off guard by announcing on Wednesday that he was indeed moving to the Pacific west coast — but north of the 49th parallel to Vancouver. The move had been Major League Soccer's worst-kept secret for days.
'A statement signing'
"Thomas is a world-class player — the ultimate "Raumdeuter" ("space interpreter"] — known for his elite chance creation, unmatched spatial awareness, and relentless off-the-ball movement," said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC CEO and sporting director, in a press release.
"This is a statement signing by our club and our ownership — a transformative moment for our club and our city."
In the same statement released by the Whitecaps, Müller said he had heard great things about Vancouver and was coming to the city to win.
"I’ve had great conversations with Axel Schuster and (head coach) Jesper Sorensen, and now I can't wait to play in front of the supporters and to see all of the fans come out to BC Place as we head towards the playoffs."
It's hard to overstate how much this will mean to Whitecaps supporters, who haven't been accustomed to their club splashing the cash like Canadian rivals Toronto FC and CF Montreal.
In his six years in Vancouver, Schuster has earned a reputation as a bargain hunter, often preferring to sign young players with ample upside.
Quietly, the former Mainz and Schalke man has built what is looking like a contender, with the Whitecaps now in second place in the Western Conference of the Major League Soccer which combines US and Canadian teams. Now people are wondering: Could Müller be just the man to push "The Village" over the top?
Under Axel Schuster, the Whitecaps have won three Canadian titles, but winning an MLS Cup is the real goalImage: Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press/empics/picture alliance
In the right place at the right time
While Müller has never been the fastest or strongest player, he's famously made a career out of being in the right place at the right time — more often than not.
As Schuster alluded to, this is why he's been dubbed the "Raumdeuter" for his ability to manipulate space on the field of play. In that sense, there are few teams in the world that wouldn't benefit from his in-game intelligence — as Canadian football pundit Jordan Wilson noted on OneSoccer recently.
"He's so cerebral. He knows what he needs to do, he knows what he needs to give. He'll blend into any squad, especially Whitecaps', quickly," said Wilson.
"I think he would be the perfect person, profile, attitude, personality to come into that side."
Another nickname Müller has been given is "Radio Müller," because of his incessant chatter on the field. The combination of his style of play and leadership creates the sense he has more to offer than just playing out the final chapter of his career.
There is, however, no denying that last season at Bayern he played the fewest Bundesliga minutes of his entire career. The key, it seems, will be to make the most of Müller in short bursts.
Thomas Müller: Bayern Munich's record man
DW looks at the numerous records set by Thomas Müller at Bundesliga side Bayern Munich.
Image: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire/IMAGO
Champions League appearances — 163
Perhaps Thomas Müller's last ever European appearance came in Bayern Munich's exit to Inter Milan in April 2025, and in doing so he drew level with Lionel Messi on 163 appearances. Only Iker Casillas (177) and Cristiano Ronaldo (183) have made more. In September 2024, Müller became the player with the most Champions League appearances for a single club (152), passing Xavi's previous record of 151.
Image: Antonio Calanni/AP Photo/picture alliance
Champions League goals — 56
Müller leads the way as the German with the most ever goals in Europe's top competition, scoring 56. That tally has him sixth on the all-time list, one goal ahead of Ruud van Nistelrooy, and six ahead of Thierry Henry (50). His season-best tally in the competition is eight — which he has managed twice.
Famous for setting up his teammates, Müller has made a habit of it over the years. He is currently tied for the sixth most assists in Champions League history, sharing the spot with former Barcelona legend Xavi. Only Ryan Giggs (31), Neymar (33), Angel Di Maria (39), Messi (40) and Ronaldo (42) have managed more.
Image: Andreas Gebert/REUTERS
Bayern Munich appearances — 756
What started as a 10-year-old joining the Bayern Munich youth side in 2000 and turned into his senior debut against Hamburg in 2008, has now become a remarkable story of the club's most capped player. On September 1, 2024, Müller overtook goalkeeper Sepp Maier and finished having played the most competitive games ever for Germany's record champions.
Image: Revierfoto/dpa/picture alliance
Bundesliga appearances — 503
While a special number, it's not quite as many as Karl-Heinz Körbel's remarkable 602 for Frankfurt. But at the start of the 2024-25 season, Müller did become the man who has made the most Bundesliga appearances for Bayern, passing Sepp Maier (again) in the process. Only 11 players have played more times in the Bundesliga. He passed the 500 mark just before winning the league in 2025.
Image: ActionPictures/IMAGO
Bundesliga goals — 150
Müller hasn't scored the most goals in Bundesliga history and in fact, he sits in 17th place, five behind Marco Reus. Nevertheless, 150 is a remarkable number and comes thanks, in no small part, to seven double-digit campaigns, including his 20-goal season in 2016. He scored goal 150 the game after he set the record for the most appearances in club history.
Image: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP/picture alliance
Bundesliga assists — 178
Müller's remarkable assist total is a reminder of how good a teammate he was. Müller has only delivered single-digit assists in three seasons (nine in 2023-24), and in the three seasons between 2019 and 2022 he delivered 21 assists each campaign. In short, if you need an assist, give Thomas a call.
Image: Frank Hoermann/Sven Simon/IMAGO
Trophies — 34
Müller has won an astounding 34 trophies with Bayern Munich, including a record 13 Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues. He's also won the German Cup six times. It's no surprise that he has the most wins of any player in club history, either. Müller is truly a player whose career will go down in the history books, and he left the club in 2025 as a Bundesliga winner one last time.
Image: Federico Gambarini/dpa/picture alliance
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Impactful on and off the pitch
While Müller's contract will only take him through to the end of the 2026 MLS season, his impact off the field could be longer lasting.
Famous for making jokes and laughing regularly, Müller's arrival into the Whitecaps dressing room will be memorable. Both for Bayern Munich and Germany over the years, Müller has built a brand around his jovial, down-to-earth personality. With nearly 15 million Instagram followers, Müller is popular across the world and his presence alone has helped both Bayern and the Bundesliga to grow in recent years.
There is also Müller's wealth of experience, as a World Cup and two-time Champions League winner. He has made the third-most appearances (163) of all time in Europe's most prestigious competition and over 750 for Bayern Munich.
This is why Wilson sees the addition of Müller as a huge opportunity for a squad with an average age of under 26 to learn from a veteran player.
"He's a winner," Wilson said. "He knows how he wants to play football, and I think he will get the best out of the players around him."
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Can Müller make the move work?
However, some have cautioned that MLS history has shown that bringing in a European superstar is no guarantee of success.
Toronto FC are perhaps the best example of how wrong a signing can go. The club parted ways with Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi earlier his month — after both severely underperformed since their signings three years ago.
And they are by no means the only Europeans who have underwhelmed in MLS. But the consensus in the Canadian media seems to be that Müller's apparent down-to-earth ways promise to be a good fit on the west coast.
A proud history: In 2019, the Whitecaps welcomed back members of the team that won the 1979 Soccer BowlImage: Devin Manky/Icon Sportswire/IMAGO
"Despite all the quality you are getting as a footballer, you are getting everything else off of the pitch in terms of the human being," former Canadian international Amy Walsh noted on the Footy Prime podcast prior to the move.
Concerns have also been expressed about Müller's age, particularly give the high-octane style of play favored by Sorensen, the Whitecaps' Danish coach. But Walsh played down these worries too, pointing out that Müller has never relied on pace to be effective.
"I think that he will be able through his intelligence, his tactical savvy, his footballing IQ to figure out how to conserve energy," she said.
Alphonso Davies turned pro with the Whitecaps before joining Müller at Bayern MunichImage: Darryl Dyck/THE CANADIAN PRESS/empics/picture alliance
It's been seven years since perhaps the most exciting player ever to come out of Canada, Alphonso Davies, left the Whitecaps to become Müller's teammate at Bayern. Now, Müller has moved in the opposite direction, trading the natural beauty of southern Bavaria on the edge of the Alps for the natural beauty of Vancouver — nestled between the Pacific and the Rockies.
On the surface at least, the lighthearted Müller looks like a good fit on the laid-back left coast. For Whitecaps fans, this must be the most exciting news since 1979, when an earlier incarnation of the club became champions of North America.
Go West - German football exports to North America
Thomas Müller is reportedly set to join a long line of German soccer stars who have pursued the American Dream. We take a look at some of the biggest names to ply their trade stateside.
Image: Jessica Alcheh/Imagn Images/IMAGO
Marco Reus, Los Angeles Galaxy
The Borussia Dortmund legend left the Bundesliga side in 2024 and signed for the LA Galaxy. Reus' timing couldn't have been better. He played 11 games in his first season, but helped the Galaxy secure their first MLS Cup in a decade. It was also the first league title of Reus' career. At 36, Reus is expected to retire at the end of the current season.
Image: Kiyoshi Mio/IMAGO
Birgit Prinz, Carolina Courage
One of the greatest players to have ever played, Prinz made a bold move to join the Carolina Courage in 2002. At the time, the Courage were part of the WUSA, the world's first women's soccer league where women were paid as pros. After winning the WUSA championship and the MVP, Prinz returned to Germany to play for another eight years, scoring and winning at will.
Image: Icon SMI/IMAGO
Franz Beckenbauer, New York Cosmos
"Der Kaiser" left Bayern Munich for the New York Cosmos in 1977 as one of a number of star signings that included Pele. In four seasons in New York, Beckenbauer won the NASL title three times before returning to Germany. After two years with Hamburg, he was persuaded to return to New York and enjoyed a final swansong with the Cosmos.
Image: picture alliance/dpa
Bastian Schweinstieger, Chicago Fire
The Bayern Munich legend followed his former Germany teammate, Arne Friedrich in joining Chicago Fire. Five years after Friedrich, Schweinsteiger made the move in 2017, and even scored on his debut. He helped the Fire return to the playoffs after five years away, opening the door for one more year before he retired in 2019, having played nearly 100 games for the MLS team.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Shen
Inka Grings, Chicago Red Stars
Grings, a two-time Euros winner and a three time German footballer of the Year, also made the stop in Chicago, joining the Chicago Red Stars in 2013 in time for the inaugural NWSL season. Grings (right) had a decent season, although the Red Stars missed out on a playoff spot. She returned to Germany and played for Cologne for one season before retiring in 2014.
Image: Peter Aiken/USA TODAY Network/IMAGO
Gerd Müller, Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Beckenbauer was joined in the NASL by former Bayern and Germany teammate Gerd Müller. The Bundesliga's all-time record goal scorer moved to Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1979 and kept up his incredible strike rate. In his three seasons in Florida, Müller scored 38 goals in 71 appearances.
Image: picture-alliance/S. Simon
Dzsenifer Marozsan, OL Reign
Dzsenifer Marozsan is a six-time Champions League winner with OL Lyon, one of the biggest clubs in women's football. But in 2021, she spent six months on loan at Lyon's American franchise, OL Reign. Joining forces with US star Megan Rapinoe, Marozsan helped the Reign to the NWSL playoff semifinals.
Image: Dantey Buitureida/Sports Press Photo/IMAGO
Lothar Matthäus, MetroStars
Another World Cup winner, this time of the 1990 vintage, became the first German to move to the nascent MLS in 2000. The MetroStars, who were based in Harrison, New Jersey, were the last port of call in Lothar Matthäus' storied playing career. Although he helped the side to the 2000 playoffs in his single campaign, he played only 16 games and his tenure there was seen as a disappointment.
Image: Lutz Bongarts/Bongarts/Getty Images
Nadine Angerer, Portland Thorns
Nadine Angerer has played all over the world, but is probably best known for being a key player in Germany's remarkable run which saw them win five Euros and two World Cups. In 2014, she joined Portland Thorns in the NWSL, keeping a clean sheet on her debut. They made the playoffs, but lost in the semifinals and the following year Angerer was playing in Australia.
Image: ZUMA Wire/IMAGO
Almut Schult, Kansas City Current
After a curious stint at Angel City FC that saw her only play one game, Almut Schult finished her career after playing six months in goal for the Kansas City Current. They finished fourth, but lost in the playoffs. Schult, a Champions League winner, retired soon after and is also remembered for being a fierce advocate for women's right after returning to play following becoming a mother.
Image: Daniel Bartel/Imagn Images/IMAGO
Torsten Frings, Toronto FC
Former Bremen and Bayern midfielder Torsten Frings (left) spent the twilight of his career in the MLS with Toronto FC. Frings joined the Reds in 2011, but a recurring hip injury forced him to hang up his boots midway through his second year at the club. He came face to face with former Bremen teammate Frank Rost in 2011. The keeper had signed for the New York Red Bulls, but only played 11 games.
Image: Icon SMI/IMAGO
Ann-Katrin Berger, Gotham FC
Ann-Katrin Berger has played at some of the biggest clubs in the world. The German No. 1 now plays for Gotham FC. She has twice overcome cancer, and was one of Germany's star players at Euro 2025. This will come as no surprise to NWSL fans, given that Berger was named the goalkeeper of the year in 2024.
