Thomas Müller became Bayern Munich's most-capped player when he came off the bench to score in the win over Freiburg on Sunday, and the 34-year-old still has plenty more to come, coach Vincent Kompany said.
Müller's arrival as a substitute enabled him to make 710 appearances for Bayern, surpassing the record set by goalkeeper Sepp Maier, who retired in 1979, and his 150th Bundesliga goal sealed a 2-0 victory.
In a strange twist of fate, in 2008 Kompany was making his final club appearance as a player in Germany in the same game in which Müller made his debut, before the current Bayern manager left Hamburg SV to join Manchester City.
“Excellent. I witnessed his first game. I was there with Hamburg on this pitch. 710 games later, it's unbelievable,” said Kompany.
“He gave 100% in 710 games, but not just in the games, but also in training. That's what makes Thomas so special.”
“There are still a few more games he can play and we are very happy that he has a few more in his locker and the fact that he can continue like this is very important for us.”
Kompany said his team's performance dropped after the break but fortunately they have players like Müller they can call on when the need arises.
“The first half was very positive, but in the second half we were a step behind Freiburg on second balls and lost a bit of rhythm,” he said.
“But then I have to say that we are very lucky to have very good players who can come on and make the difference, and Thomas Müller came on, Kingsley Coman as well, and the players on the bench were very important for us to win this game.
“Positive aspects and things to learn. In addition, we were able to celebrate a fantastic moment from Thomas Müller, which was also important for us today.”
