Thomas Müller is never going to retire, is he?
The Bayern Munich legend and Vancouver Whitecaps attacker recently featured on an episode of the Late Run podcast. In the episode, they look back at his career, and one of the main talking points was Germany’s incredible run in the 2014 World Cup and their ultimate victory. Specifically, Müller provided a behind-the-scenes look at their famous 7-1 win against Brazil.
Brushing off the narrative that Germany’s dominance began during the World Cup, Müller
explained that the key players of the tournament were simply carrying momentum from their club careers. After all, the 2013 Champions League final was an all-German affair — Bayern against Dortmund, two teams stacked with German international players.
“Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer — we were all at very good moments in our careers. So we could feel that we had a chance. But actually delivering on that potential was another thing,” he explained.
He was then asked about the semifinal against Brazil — whether the team was surprised, and how they approached the second half while leading 5-0.
Müller reveals that the team was not surprised — rather, they were shocked. “We looked at each other in the locker room: ‘5–0.’ It had actually happened,” he said.
Breaking down the game, the Raumdeuter said that he has watched the match back multiple times for various reasons.
“The first 15 minutes were slow. Both teams were nervous. There were lots of misplaced passes on both sides,” he said.
But the opening goal, scored by Müller, changed the course of the game.
“You could feel the pressure on Brazil because they were playing at home. It was simply too much. After the second goal, they lost their minds a little. They made some stupid mistakes because they wanted to fight back so hard. And then suddenly it was 5–0,” he recounted. “Between roughly the 15th and 28th minute, we scored five goals in a World Cup semifinal.”
He then revealed that their manager Joachim Löw gave them clear instructions to play calmly and with respect. However, the attacker had apparently picked a small fight with David Luiz over a duel.
“During the last 15 minutes, I think he wanted to hit me once or twice. So I was just running away from him. No matter where the ball was going, he was there,” he went on. “I was thinking: ‘No, I don’t want the ball. Please stand next to Dante instead,’” he laughed.
Beating Brazil at home not only made this an extremely memorable World Cup for Germany, but it also showcased the extraordinary quality of that squad. One can only hope that Germany returns with a similar mentality to make history again.
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