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Former USA Coach Urges Thomas Muller To Join The MLS After Bayern Munich Exit

Originally posted on Bayern Munich on SI
By Apratim Banerjee | Last updated Apr 25, 2025 5:45 PM ET

Thomas Muller is set to bring his legendary Bayern Munich career to an end this season. The forward has been an icon for the club since making his debut back in 2009, going on to make 747 appearances for the senior team, scoring 248 goals and setting up 274 more.

Muller's contract runs out at the end of the season and the rumor mill regarding his next destination has been rolling. Serie A side Fiorentina has been linked with him and also reports emerged that he has turned down a move to MLS club FC Cincinnati.

Former USA and Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinsmann, though, has backed Muller to move to the MLS. Klinsmann thinks Muller could be a great addition to a growing list of legends, including David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and most recently Lionel Messi, who have played in US Soccer. In a recent interview with Sky Germany, Muller said:

I do think the MLS can play a role there. American soccer, this league, has developed really well. It was founded in 1996, after the 1994 World Cup, and then expanded to include one team after another. It's now a league with 30 teams, 15 in the East, 15 in the West, and it has truly grown and improved in terms of quality. It's also really powerful, and the people who have enriched this league over the last two and a half decades speak for themselves.Jurgen Klinsmann

Klinsmann added:

Lothar Matthäus was here, and David Beckham, of course, gave it a huge boost. And now, of course, with Lionel Messi , it's truly fantastic to see him here at Inter Miami. And I do believe Thomas would fit in there. I think he would enjoy playing here in the USA. Of course, you'll have a completely different environment, a quieter private life, because soccer doesn't have the same status as American football, baseball, and basketball, but it's still recognized. Soccer has grown here and can have a say, and so I hope that plays a role in his thoughts. Of course, ultimately it's his decision.Jurgen Klinsmann,

Thomas Müller, apart from being a player for Bayern Munich and Germany, is also an icon of international soccer. If he moves to the MLS right before the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, it could also be an attractive commercial move.

Thomas Müller in the Champions League with Bayern Munich:

▪️ 163 games
▪️ 57 goals
▪️ 34 assists
▪️ Two trophies

His final numbers in Europe's top competition. #UCL pic.twitter.com/LKwQ4XnFBh
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