Legend Mueller targets one final title as Bayern exit draws near

Bayern Munich veteran Thomas Mueller can win his 13th league title with victory at RB Leipzig on Saturday, as his summer departure after 25 seasons at the club draws near.

Eight points clear of defending champions Bayer Leverkusen with three games remaining, Bayern will clinch the title if they beat Leipzig this weekend.

Bayern’s last league win at Leipzig came in 2021. If the Bavarians falter, they will still wrap up the Bundesliga crown if Leverkusen fail to beat Freiburg on Sunday.

Another league title would be a fitting farewell for Mueller, who joined Bayern aged just 10 and played his 500th Bundesliga game last week.

A one-club player, Mueller has amassed a remarkable 32 trophies with Bayern, including two Champions Leagues, but will leave at the end of the season after he was not offered a contract extension.

No player has ever won 13 Bundesliga titles and only Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs has hit that mark in any of Europe’s top five leagues.

“It sounds good doesn’t it?” Mueller said of the record in an interview with the Bundesliga website on Wednesday.

“I won my first title in 2010. You’re holding something heavy in your hands and it gives you the feeling that it’s not really easy to win the thing.

“There’s always a lot of work and you have to perform over a long period.

“That’s why the satisfaction when you win the league trophy is greater than the Champions League or the German Cup.”

With his departure edging closer, Mueller has been celebrated by fans at home and away, but has been quick to remind everyone he is not on a farewell tour — and that there is a title at stake.

“On the topic of pride, I’m someone who lives life looking forward rather than looking back too much,” said Mueller.

Agence France-Presse