Thomas Müller has done it all in soccer. He's won the FIFA World Cup with Germany and two UEFA Champions League titles with Bayern Munich, in addition to a record 13 Bundesliga titles.
He's the all-time top German scorer and assister in the Champions League, Bayern's all-time record appearance holder, one of three players in Bundesliga history to score 100+ goals and 100+ assists, and the most decorated German soccer player of all time alongside Toni Kroos (34 trophies).
After a quarter-century in Bavaria, many would have expected Müller to hang up his boots this past summer after Bayern decided to let his contract expire. Instead, he's started a new adventure in North America and proven that, even at 36, he still has plenty of juice left in the tank.
Thomas Muller sets another record – this time in MLS
One month after playing his 756th and final match for Bayern Munich, Müller – who has played in four World Cups for Germany – joined Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC on August 6, signing a contract for the remainder of the 2025 season, with a Designated Player option for 2026.
After coming on for the final half-hour of a 1-1 draw to Houston Dynamo, Müller made his full MLS debut on August 23 against St. Louis City. Despite falling behind on two occasions, Vancouver prevailed with a 3-2 victory as Müller slotted home the winning penalty in the 14th minute of extra time.
Vancouver returned to action three weeks later with a visit from the top-ranked team in the league: Philadelphia Union. For the first time ever, Müller was going to be playing in front of his parents without a Bayern or Germany kit on, with Der Raumdeuter arranging to have them flown into Canada to celebrate his 36th birthday.
The hosts set the tone early on, with Mathías Laborda opening the scoring in the 18th minute, whilst Emmanuel Sabbi doubled Vancouver's lead shortly after. Things went from bad to worse for Philly, who had a goal disallowed before the break, and who found themselves overwhelmed by the Whitecaps' intricate passing exchanges and rapid counter-attacking play.
Vancouver, meanwhile, continued to rack up the pressure as Müller scored two penalties before the break before finding Sabbi at the hour-mark and putting the finishing touches on a 7-0 victory. After just three matches played, Müller has already done something that nobody in MLS history – not Lionel Messi, not David Beckham, not Thierry Henry – had ever done before: score a hat-trick on his birthday.
However, that wasn't the only historic feat from this blowout win. It was the most lopsided defeat in Philadelphia history as well as Vancouver's biggest margin of victory, and it was also the first time that Philadelphia lost by more than one goal since March 16.
It was also the first time in MLS history that four players scored a hat-trick in a single matchday, with LAFC’s Denis Bouanga, Columbus Crew’s Diego Rossi and Charlotte FC’s Idan Toklomati each taking home the match ball. Naturally, it also tied the record for the most goals scored on a single MLS matchday (57) from August 6, 2022, when there were two fewer clubs.
Vancouver have qualified for the playoffs with six matches remaining, and they sit five points behind Supporters' Shield leaders Philadelphia with two games in hand.
