Bavarian boy-next-door Mueller out to take trophy home
PHOTO | ODD ANDERSEN Germany's forward Thomas Mueller (right) celebrates scoring a penalty with his teammates during the Group G football match between Germany and Portugal at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 16, 2014.
What you need to know:
- The 24-year-old has come a long way since Diego Maradona famously mistook him for a ball boy after his Germany debut in a 1-0 defeat to Argentina in Munich in 2010.
- Fancy cars are not his thing.
- Born in September 1989, just two months before the Berlin Wall came down, Mueller rose through Bayern’s youth teams and is now one of their top earners.
RIO DE JANEIRO
Thomas Mueller could leave Brazil with another Golden Boot, but all the Bavarian boy-next-door really cares about is winning Sunday's final to take the World Cup home to Germany.
The 24-year-old has come a long way since Diego Maradona famously mistook him for a ball boy after his Germany debut in a 1-0 defeat to Argentina in Munich in 2010.
Mueller had the last laugh in Cape Town four months later when Germany romped to a 4-0 win over Maradona’s Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Germany finished third at the last World Cup and Mueller left South Africa with both the Golden Boot and the best young player award.
Four years on, Maradona dubbed Mueller ‘El Flaco’ — the Skinny One — after the German’s hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Portugal in the opening group match.
But unlike the controversial Maradona, Mueller is not a complicated character. The lanky Jack-the-lad is the joker in Germany’s pack who visits his parents once a month and married his sweetheart.
He looks like he would be just as comfortable serving frothy mugs of beer in his upper Bavarian home village as scoring goals for either Bayern Munich or Germany.
Fancy cars are not his thing.
Instead he owns 30 horses as wife, Lisa, who he met when he was 17 and married aged 20, is a dressage rider and the couple’s dogs are called Micky and Murmel.
Born in September 1989, just two months before the Berlin Wall came down, Mueller rose through Bayern’s youth teams and is now one of their top earners.
So is he a striker or a midfielder? “No idea,” was his simple reply.
It does not really matter to him, just like the prospect of leaving Brazil with another Golden Boot after claiming five goals and three assists, his exact same tally from four years ago. “It’s only relevant in that the more goals I score for Germany, the higher our chance of winning the title,” he said.
