Thomas Müller, the Vancouver Whitecaps superstar and one of the greatest World Cup players in history, has spent the first two weeks of the tournament working as a pundit for Germany's Magenta TV. He has been pitchside with former coach Jürgen Klopp, offering concise commentary on matches in Toronto, Houston, New York, and Mexico City. On Wednesday, he returns to Vancouver to work the broadcast at B.C. Place when Canada kicks off its final group match against Switzerland.
Müller's Role as a Pundit
Müller described his role humorously last month before the Whitecaps' season paused: “I’m not a commentator, analyst or expert. I’m the commercial break guy. I have one sentence for 20 seconds, where I have to bring it to the point for the German media.” He has clearly enjoyed the experience, posting on social media about working with Klopp and other German soccer legends. He joked about pointing fingers at players or the coach to blame someone, adding, “You know how it works, and let’s see, maybe I can score one or two.”
Return to Vancouver and Rejoining the Whitecaps
After Wednesday's broadcast, Müller will rejoin his Whitecaps teammates for training on Thursday. He made a brief stop on Tuesday morning at the team's temporary training site at St. George's School on Vancouver's westside, where he signed autographs and took photos with students. Müller, who joined the Whitecaps seeking an “adventure,” will now have the opportunity to showcase his adopted city and the stadium where he has already found success, the only other club he has played for besides Bayern Munich.
Magenta TV is covering all German-language teams, including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, so their broadcasts will continue, but Müller's tour with them ends after Wednesday's match. According to Patrick Johnston of The Province, Müller's return adds extra excitement as he gets to show the world the town he has adopted and the stadium where he has already had success.
