“Not the greatest” - Private documentary scenes show how Thomas Müller became who he is

24 seconds. That was all the time Thomas Müller got in the Champions League second leg against Celtic Glasgow. TV expert Lothar Matthäus ranted about a "humiliation" afterwards. It shows that the FC Bayern Munich club legend has increasingly turned into a part-time worker.

It is unclear whether the 35-year-old will continue on the field. His contract is running out, and President Herbert Hainer recently opened the door for Müller to become "a kind of foreign minister" for his beloved club. The football legend does not say anything about his future in the Prime Video documentary "Thomas Müller - One like no other" (from March 4), but the 90-minute film nevertheless seems like a cinematic farewell to the end of a great career. At the premiere on February 25th in Munich's Arri cinema, Müller's wife Lisa was surprisingly absent.

And Müller has really won everything - well, almost. He was denied the European title, most recently in the tragic extra-time knockout against Spain at the 2024 European Championships at home. Müller has only words of praise for coach Nagelsmann ("He set us up well"), but admits his difficulties with only being planned as a substitute. "One last intense experience with German football" was the bitter defeat against the eventual European champions, Müller sums up. The controversial hand scene with Marc Cucurella - it is not an issue.

The scandal scene is not the only surprising thing that is left out of the documentary. Despite all the chronological and nostalgic celebration of Müller's career, his most successful season is completely missing. Hansi Flick's legendary sextuple season with Thomas Müller in the second (or third?) football spring - as if wiped out. The challenges of the Corona period - also missing. In addition, it is surprising that, given the series of prominent interview partners with Manuel Neuer, only one player from the current team sings the praises of Müller.

Of course, there is no lack of appreciation. "He is not very fast. His technique is average, his dribbling is average, but he is Thomas Müller," is how Karl-Heinz Rummenigge sums up the Müller phenomenon. Coach-philosopher Pep Guardiola praises his former playmaker as a "free bird." And world champion coach Jogi Löw acknowledges: "You can't predict him. Not even your own coach."

"Thomas Müller - One of a Kind" is particularly exciting when Müller classifies phases of his career in which things were not always going up. The relationship with former coach Thomas Tuchel was particularly icy. So icy that the cameras accompany Müller during his conversation with advisor Ludwig Kögl. Offers from Saudi Arabia have trickled in that he could pursue, says Kögl. "They would be financially strong," Müller hesitates, but rules out a departure into the desert because: "The euro will definitely be gone by then."

Nevertheless, one suspects that an attractive offer could have ended the marriage between FCB and Müller at this time. "At my age, it's not about waiting for opportunities," says the midfielder, annoyed about the lack of playing time under Tuchel - only to add with typical Müller humor: "When will the supervised toilet be free again?"

Müller had also gone through difficult times with few games before, under Carlo Ancelotti and Niko Kovac. "He was certainly desperate in the situation," Manuel Neuer puts his teammate in his shoes. Then Jogi Löw ("I have to apologize for the way") also ended Müller's time in the DFB jersey - temporarily. "The door was locked and the key thrown away," Müller describes the situation at the time. But: "I don't have any offended phases." He fought his way out of the slump afterwards, and he is "better than most people in the business" at that.

Müller's family also supports him. At home in Pähl, in tranquil Upper Bavaria, Müller goes from being a world star to a son. During the meatball meal at the family table, his mother Klaudia scolds him and tells him not to eat so greedily from the salad bowl. During the apple harvest, she scolds Thomas when he drops some of the fruit. She sees it as her "parental duty" to show her son "that he is not the greatest of all".

Given Müller's great popularity, this is not always easy. A normal everyday life? Hardly conceivable. "Because of my face," he says, who loved being in the mountains as a child, can no longer go hiking. At least not without being quickly surrounded by fans. "Lisa (Thomas Müller's wife, ed.) was at the last basketball game without me. Unfortunately, she had to realize that she really enjoyed it." Lisa Müller also appears in the documentary , although she has actually withdrawn from the public eye.

Perhaps Müller will soon find more time for such leisure activities. The Prime Video film leaves open how long Thomas Müller will continue to lace up his cleats and be part of the active football world. There is "no substitute for the adrenaline in the stadium," the protagonist assumes in his documentary. But otherwise he is quite capable of structuring his day. In any case, Müller does not say a bad word about his FC Bayern - neither in the documentary nor in public. Little playing time or not. Actually good prerequisites for the office of (club) foreign minister.