Müller sure to give Whitecaps attendance a shot in the arm

Opinion

After spending his entire career at a single club, Thomas Müller wasn’t going to play just anywhere.

His loyalty to Bayern Munich, where he scored 250 goals and won 23 major honours over a celebrated 25 years, meant he was never going to wear another Bundesliga shirt. European clubs outside Germany, meanwhile, had known for some time that the World Cup winner was not at all interested in joining them, either.

It was rumoured he might retire at the end of last season, and if he didn’t his previous salary at Bayern — a reported 20 million euros (C$32 million) annually — would surely put off most suitors.

As it turns out, the 35-year-old is about to earn around five times less — as a Vancouver Whitecap.

Once everything’s been made official with the Major League Soccer outfit, Müller could see minutes as soon as Aug. 9 against San Jose, and he’ll be eligible to feature in the semifinals of the Canadian Championship as well. The Whitecaps will visit Forge FC in the first of two legs on Aug. 13. (Who had Thomas Müller in Hamilton on their bingo card?)

Before Tuesday, when the transaction was effectively finalized, Müller had narrowed his options to a few MLS clubs, with Los Angeles FC most prominent among them, as well as A-League record champions Sydney FC.

Perhaps former Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti, who owns a waterfront home in West Vancouver, influenced his thinking. Maybe Alphonso Davies, an ex-Bayern teammate who spent three years in the Whitecaps system, helped make up his mind.

Or, Vancouver is simply a world-class city with an attractive lifestyle, and the Whitecaps are a contending MLS team just a point off first place in the Western Conference. A lot of players would relish that scenario.

Now it’s up to manager Jesper Sorensen to get him into the lineup.

Numerically, it won’t be a problem. With Ryan Gauld rehabbing a knee injury, Ali Ahmed out with an ankle problem and both Ranko Veselinović and Sam Adekugbe absent long-term, as well as Damir Kreilach’s exit early last month, the squad simply needs more players.

As to Müller’s role, there’s no sense in overthinking it or trying to get inventive. He is what he is. Sorensen will use the former German international as a build-up player — from the right, where Emmanuel Sabbi played against Kansas City, or behind striker Brian White, where Jean-Claude Ngando operated.

He will not be quick; he will rarely dribble. He’ll be counted on to find those slivers of space that no one else noticed, and he’ll hopefully score some goals. A lot of his playing time will come as a substitute, allowing him to take advantage of tiring opponents.

In context, he came off the bench 18 times in the Bundesliga last season, and on four occasions in 2025 he was an unused sub. He also scored just once in 30 appearances.

So, is he washed up? Not necessarily. He’s joining a very good team, and his experience as a proven winner will be invaluable — especially come playoff time. He certainly has a knack for coming through when the pressure is high.

Off the field, Müller will give Whitecaps attendance a shot in the arm. With ownership trying to sell the team, that can only be a good thing. Vancouver played in front of nine sell-out crowds last term but have yet to fill BC Place (reduced capacity for MLS) this time around. Ideally, they’d like to open the upper bowl for the playoffs.

Then there’s the reputational boost the club is already experiencing. Once again, the outgoing ownership group should more than make up what they’re paying Müller in franchise value.

If pitch-level expectations are realistic, Müller will be as close to a sure thing as thirty-something MLS signings get. He’ll be effective in certain game situations; he’ll enhance the Whitecaps brand.

And he won’t merely go through the motions. If he was going to keep playing post-Bayern, it was only going to be somewhere that appealed to him, that he could commit to.

Thankfully for Vancouver, it’s there.

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