Over the years, some of Germany’s greatest-ever players have ventured across the Atlantic to continue their careers in North America after achieving success in Europe. Thomas Muller will now be following in the footsteps of some famous fellow countrymen such as Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthaus and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
After 25 years with Bayern München, Muller has made the switch to MLS, where he will be on the hunt for goals with Vancouver Whitecaps and, for the first time in his professional career, he will don a club jersey other than that of the Bavarian giants.
“This [Bayern] is bigger than anything you can imagine. I may be leaving this big stage, but I loved being a modern gladiator. I’m looking forward to what’s to come, even if it’s only half as good as what I had. I love you all, now let’s celebrate!” It was with these words that Muller said farewell to Bayern’s fans after his 750th competitive match for the club, kicking off the celebrations to mark his 13th Bundesliga title.
“Why should I be sad? It’s been wonderful!” the 35-year-old called out to reporters in his usual relaxed manner before leaving the arena. It is precisely this kind of informal interaction with his team-mates, fans and the media that will be sorely missed at Bayern in the future. On the pitch, Muller racked up 248 goals and 274 assists during his time with the Bavarians, but he was equally as important off the pitch, too. With his infectious sense of humour, Müller has always been blessed with a lightness so rarely seen in football.
Put simply: Muller’s time at Bayern was one long success story. In addition to those 13 league titles, he also lifted the German Cup six times and the UEFA Champions League trophy twice. He also holds the record for the most appearances and titles in a Bayern shirt. Muller’s long and illustrious career in Munich may be over, but he will now have the chance to make history abroad with the Whitecaps as he aims to emulate some other German stars who also made the move across the Pond.
Franz Beckenbauer
In 1977, the Kaiser’s transfer from Bayern to the New York Cosmos in the fledgling North American Soccer League (NASL), where he would play alongside Pele for a year, caused a real sensation. Beckenbauer became the first German luminary to lace up his boots in the United States, a country that had not yet been gripped by football fever. Steven Ross, the CEO of Warner and a co-founder of the Cosmos, had a plan – to sign superstars to boost the game’s popular appeal, all with a view to the USA one day hosting the FIFA World Cup™, which it would eventually do in 1994. In the end, Beckenbauer’s time in the States proved to be a success, even if he himself had some doubts at the beginning.
“I came in May 1977 and after three weeks, Clive Toye, the president, resigned and Gordon Bradley, the coach, was fired, and I said to myself, Oh my God, where am I?’” Beckenbauer would later say about his early days in New York. Those teething problems did not hold him back, however, as he went on to win three league titles with the Cosmos and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in his first season. After a two-year intermezzo back home with Hamburg, he even returned for another stint in the Big Apple in 1983 before finally hanging up his boots.
Lothar Matthaus
The transatlantic adventures of Lothar Matthaus, who joined the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 2000 at the age of 39, were not quite as glorious. Even though he was by now in the twilight of his career, expectations were sky-high, and his signature was hailed as a coup in the States. The MetroStars had finished rock-bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference in the 1999 season, but with Matthaus now pulling the strings in front of the defence, they promptly topped the table in the 2000 campaign before losing in the semi-finals of the play-offs.
Although the MetroStars improved on the pitch, it would be a stretch to regard the world and European champion’s stay in the Big Apple as a success. Matthaus himself probably summed it up best when he blamed communication problems within the team for their unsatisfactory performances: “The Colombians in our team don’t speak English. I don’t speak English well either. If you say, ‘go right’, they go left. That’s a problem!”
After picking up an injury, the former Bayern, Internazionale and Borussia Monchengladbach star was given permission to return to Europe for treatment, but when he was spotted with his girlfriend on the beach in Saint-Tropez, the writing was on the wall. “If sunbathing is not part of his treatment, that would be a shame. It doesn’t look good. The team is fighting for the championship, and an injured player is lying on the beach,” said MetroStars captain Tom Dooley. Just a short time later, Matthaus’ Stateside stint came to an end without him registering a single goal or assist, never mind a title.
Jurgen Klinsmann
After calling time on his playing career, Jurgen Klinsmann settled in the United States and lived with his family in Newport Beach, a coastal town in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. He even made a brief comeback at the age of 39, scoring five goals in eight appearances for Orange County Blue Star under the pseudonym Jay Goppingen. However, this son of Goppingen in southern Germany is mostly remembered in the States for his time as the head coach of the USA national team, when he was given the task of modernising the entire association.
He was named head coach in 2011 and led the Stars and Stripes to Concacaf Gold Cup glory two years later. The USA subsequently qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil, and Klinsmann was also appointed as the association’s technical director. Drawn into a group with Germany, Portugal and Ghana, hardly anyone gave his team a chance in Brazil, but they finished second in their group and reached the Round of 16 before narrowly losing 2-1 to Belgium after extra time. In 2016, the former world-class striker was released from his duties after a stuttering start to the final round of World Cup qualifying, but on balance his time in the States can certainly be viewed as a success.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
After a frustrating two-year spell with Manchester United, Bastian Schweinsteiger signed for Chicago Fire in 2017 and quickly became a mainstay of the team and a fan favourite. In the Windy City, he was usually deployed in the unfamiliar role of libero, much like Beckenbauer and Matthaus, who had both played in the same position on American soil before him.
Even though Schweinsteiger was ultimately unable to lead the team to new heights, they improved on the pitch thanks to the former Bayern star’s understanding of the game and, as a gesture of gratitude, one of the club’s training pitches was renamed “Schweini’s Pitch”. In 2018, Schweinsteiger was also given the honour of a farewell match between Bayern and Chicago Fire in front of 75,000 spectators at the Allianz Arena. He played one half for each team and even scored one final goal for the German giants. “He put Chicago Fire on the world map,” said club owner Joe Mansueto in 2019 in praise of Schweinsteiger.
Marco Reus
In August last year, after 12 years at Borussia Dortmund, Marco Reus joined LA Galaxy, where stars such as David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic had already thrilled fans before him. The then 35-year-old admitted that his move to the City of Angels was not purely down to sporting reasons. “I guess you could say that we also chose the lifestyle,” he said in an interview with German magazine 11FREUNDE. However, the attacking midfielder’s switch to the States quickly proved to be a sporting success for the former Dortmund star.
Even his MLS debut was like something out of a Hollywood script. With his new team struggling to break down Atlanta United and the score locked at 0-0, Reus came off the bench and swiftly contributed an assist and a goal as his team ran out 2-0 winners. Reus and LA Galaxy then ended the campaign in equally dramatic fashion by winning the MLS Cup, giving him his first domestic league title in his very first season on American soil.
