Enclosure

[temris]

I knew the day where Thomas will say goodbye to football was approaching, but the more closer we get to that point, it gets harder to accept the truth.

I've never been good at parting ways, this is something I repeat a lot. Thomas has been a player who ever since I watched football, has just always been there. It was even saddening to see his appearances become mere minutes the last few seasons at Bayern. I also talked about my thoughts on his contract renewals at that club.

I've also never called myself a Bayern fan, I usually do not like teams that "dominate" their leagues. I know it's kind of a deadbeat saying now, "Serie A is the best because the championship is actually a race", but it's true. Last year, with Tuchel it seemed like a new domination of Leverkusen was coming; however, with nearly 10 points of difference with the occupiers of the 1st spot in the standings (as of 20 April), I think that wind has passed away some time ago.

For that reason, Thomas has not been shown the same amount of respect a player has for "his" club, they give to other players like Reus for Dortmund -- who stayed even if they passed their rather successful era with Klopp. But I think, it's why Thomas has been ever more special, because no matter how much the whole squad changed from the time he started, Thomas has been integral.

People often undermine Thomas because he’s always been surrounded by a “good” squad of available top players in the world, so his importance is always undermined. But he always shows his difference when he’s subbed in, and you always realize his vacancy when they don’t start him.

There’s a reason he’s always been around for 15~ years for Bayern, when many players came and left.

This is what I said in my Tumblr blog last year, and I still stand by it.

There is no competing with how fiery his passion is for the game, for the club that even with that side of his, Thomas shows us that he's from the by-gone era of football. I'm mostly romanticizing it, but it's been said many times that at the peak of his career, Premiere Leauge clubs sought for him and he stayed at Bayern.

That also warrants another topic to talk about that is his private life.

I don't really dwell much on footballers' private lives, but iirc, his wife has been integral in making that decision of staying. And now, it's safe to say she's out the picture -- we don't know what happened, but this is the fact. I said it before that he'll suffer the consequences of making such a decision, and now it feels like that.

It's not all sadness though. Even with his final appearance with Bayern in the CL, he's now sharing the record of most appearances in CL with Messi out of all people, in 3rd spot.

The legend you are, Thomas Müller. I will remember you well.