"It's about winning titles": Thomas Müller wants to keep adding to trophy case with Vancouver Whitecaps | KEY TAKEAWAYS🎙️
It’s the start of a new era for soccer in Vancouver, as Thomas Müller finally landed in the city this week after signing with the Vancouver Whitecaps earlier in August.
Naturally, his arrival has caused a bit of a stir in the city, too, as hundreds of fans made their way to Vancouver’s YVR airport to catch a glimpse of the German footballing icon, who joined the Whitecaps after spending his entire career with giants Bayern Munich.
The Raumdeuter is *finally* here. 🙌#VWFC x #TM13 pic.twitter.com/WGdaswIlRo
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) August 14, 2025
Arguably one of the biggest signings in Vancouver sporting history, period, this move was a big signal of intent for the Whitecaps, who are in the midst of their best season in their MLS era, sitting as one of the top teams in MLS through the first 25 games of their campaign.
Eager to build on the buzz that has been slowly starting to build with their success this year, which also included a deep run in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the Whitecaps feel this signing can do that, helping them take another step in their ongoing evolution, one that has started since the arrival of club CEO and Sporting Director Axel Schuster at the beginning of this decade - and one they’re hoping continues for years to come.
“Since the first day I arrived at this club in January of 2020, I have always spoken about the vision to build something sustainable here, to build an exciting team, one that is competitive, and that is going for a win in every single game,” Schuster said during Müller’s unveiling on Thursday. “Today is a moment where we can look back and see that we have come a long way on this road, and it wouldn't have been possible without the support of everyone, so today is a day to celebrate.”
“At the same time, we’re only halfway there. For me, this is not the end; this is just somewhere in the middle of our journey, there's a lot more to come from this club, and we will continue to grow.”
That’s a sentiment echoed by Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen, too, who also played a big role in this signing, both by pushing this team to a new level on the field and by helping show Müller what kind of impact he can make within his system.
“I'm very excited; if I wasn’t, I’d be in the wrong business,” Sørensen added. “Since I've come to Vancouver, I’ve felt that there's a very good football vibe in the city, and we've done pretty well so far, but being able to attract a player like Thomas is something that I didn’t plan for before I started, but it just speaks to who we’ve become. It’s extraordinary to be able to have a player like Thomas, it’s exciting for everybody, for the players, for us who work in our daily life in football. To have a player who has played in all of the big games that you can play in this sport, hopefully we can inspire each other to become even better.”
Now, with a signing like this, there’s no doubt that the Whitecaps have just hit an important milestone in their journey, as Schuster noted. Having long struggled to attract stars of this magnitude, it’s a remarkable coup, one that shows how far the club has come in recent years.
In a sense, however, this move has turned out to be a bit of a perfect marriage, at least in terms of what attracted these two together, which helps explain why it was able to come about.
No doubt, Müller is a massive addition for the club for many reasons.
Since his signing was announced, Whitecaps’ ticket sales have soared, and the club has been fighting just to meet the growing demand from fans to purchase his #13 Whitecaps kit, which will be a hot commodity for years to come. All of a sudden, eyes across North America and the globe are fixated on a club that has sometimes struggled for relevance within in its own city, and that was reflected in his opening press conference, which was attended by hundreds of media, fans, government officials and other important dignitaries, and watched by thousands of fans and onlookers.
Yet, when Müller talks about this next chapter of his career, his main goal remains simple - he just wants to win matches and trophies. He isn’t coming to Vancouver because he wants to be the face of the club, to help grow the game or anything of that sort - he picked the Whitecaps because they offered him the best chance to win from day one, selling him on the idea that he can come be a key piece on a young team that is already among the best in MLS and still growing; all of the extras that come with a move like this is just a bonus to him.
“I’ve played many years with Bayern, and I'm very proud of this time, but for me, it was time for a bit of an adventure,” Müller told reporters. “But an adventure for me is only interesting when it's about having the chance to go for titles. If you’ve watched the Vancouver Whitecaps this season and their development over the last few years, there is a chance to win titles, not only this year but also next year.”
“They showed me their ideas, their plans, and I felt quite comfortable from the beginning. Vancouver is already known globally as one of the best cities in the world, which is important, but the main part for me was the football on the pitch. With the group we have, we don’t only have good players, there are very good people here, as well, so I’m looking forward to this new experience.”
What this shows, however, is that this isn’t the typical MLS signing of years past, where older players could be accused of coming stateside to collect a paycheque while enjoying a new lifestyle.
Despite being tied with Toni Kroos as the most decorated German footballer of all time with 34 trophies, armed with a CV that includes a World Cup, 13 Bundesliga titles and two Champions League crowns, Müller wants to keeping adding to his trophy cabinet in Vancouver, where he’ll want to help them win their fourth straight Canadian Championship, while getting them over the hump to win their first Supporters Shield, MLS Cup or Concacaf Champions Cup, which would be quite massive.
Having come close to Champions Cup glory this year, falling short in the final, the Whitecaps aren’t far off being able to claim some big trophies over the next 18 months, and that motivates Müller the most, pushing him to extend his career even as he reaches his mid-30s.
“It’s not about the titles won in the past, it’s about winning titles in the future,” he noted when asked about this move to Vancouver. “That's what motivates me. Then, when it’s not about the titles, it’s all about competition, competition within your team, competition against other teams, competition against yourself, competition to win your place. I’ve always been a competitive guy my whole life, and my love is to play soccer, and my body feels, even at this stage of my career, too good to retire quite yet.”
"My body feels, even in my stage of my career, too good to retire!"
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) August 14, 2025
Thomas Müller is ready to take on MLS with the Vancouver Whitecaps 😎#VWFC pic.twitter.com/8SBGU8rq6Y
Therefore, the big goal for Müller going forward will be to make an immediate impact with his new club, starting this weekend, where he’s expected to feature off the bench in the Whitecaps' regular-season matchup vs. the Houston Dynamo at BC Place.
It might take time for him to find his feet in his new system, but the good news is that he’s pretty fit after playing with Bayern in the Club World Cup, too, as he’s continued training with them up until he departed for Vancouver this week.
Because of that, it shouldn’t take long for him to get up and running in this team, one that plays a style of play that should fit his unique profile as the ‘Raumdeuter’ (interpreter of space) quite well.
A Whitecaps side that wants to play aggressively and on the front foot with and without the ball, Müller will slide into Sørensen’s system seamlessly, as he’s always been one to want to play on the front foot in games, with and without the ball, which is exactly what the Danish manager demands of all of his players.
“When talking about our playing style, we play actively, and that's what I’ve loved to do all my career, to play active soccer, to have the foot on the gas and control the game,” Müller said of that tactical fit. “In any stage of the game, you have to find different solutions; sometimes, maybe you need to sit back more, but in the end, it’s all about getting to the opponent's box and scoring goals. When I watched Whitecaps games, and then I talked to Jesper, I think we were aligned on that, as we think very similarly about the game.”
Thanks to that, he offers a great new solution for Sørensen to work with on the pitch, adding more flexibility to an already fluid attacking set-up. Neither was willing to talk about where they see his best fit in this team quite yet, (although it seems likely that he plays underneath striker Brian White as more of a second-striker, #10 type), but they know that he should fit pretty seamlessly into this system because of how they both see the game.
In particular, he should immediately become an important leader for the team to use as a reference when on the pitch, which will elevate a team that already has an excellent understanding of how their coach wants to play, something that shouldn’t go unnoticed when considering what Müller can bring to this team.
“I think that the players have been unbelievable this season, and I can't give them enough credit,” Sørensen said. “So this only helps us get stronger. Beyond Thomas’s credentials, he’s also known for his work ethic and the way he behaves outside the pitch, the role model that he is, and his competitiveness, and I think that will add to to a team that's already very disciplined, well structured and that wants to work hard, while also bringing some extra quality.”
“It’s a great signing for the team, it’s exciting for the young players, and all players in general, to play with a player who's done what Thomas has done in football, and wants to keep building on that.”
Now, look for Müller to settle in with his new club over the next few days. After a whirlwind 24 hours with his arrival, media obligations and other things of the sort, he’ll finally look to enjoy his new home and get back out on the football pitch over the next few days.
No doubt, however, this is a massive signing for the Whitecaps and Canadian soccer at large. With the World Cup coming to the city in just under a year, a move like this can help build hype for that tournament (not that it needs it), while further helping grow the sport in the city.
Even if his main focus is on what he can do on the pitch, Müller knows the grandeur of what this move brings, and seems aware of the responsibilities that he carries when seeing how he’s conducted himself since his arrival.
Yet, in that regard, one can’t help but wonder about the connection that Müller has with one of the most famous players to play with the Whitecaps in recent years, Alphonso Davies, who, of course, left the club as an 18-year-old to join Müller at Bayern Munich after tearing up MLS in the 2018 campaign.
Shortly after he arrived at Bayern, Davies struck up a nice connection with Müller, who took him under his wing, so it seems interesting to see that Müller has chosen to take the next step of his career at Davies’s old club.
Given how important Davies has been for the growth of the sport in Canada, helping attract international interest, it seems like a full-circle moment to have Müller now make this move and to assume a similar responsibility.
Müller seems aware of that, so look for him to take his new role seriously, especially on the field, as he embarks on this new adventure.
“I double checked with Alphonso to see if I was on the right track with this move after speaking with (Axel Schuster and Jesper Sørensen),” Müller said. “He didn’t need to convince me, as my feelings about coming here were already good.”
“I just checked with Alphonso to see if the city was nice, if the people were nice, and then he confirmed it. It’s very interesting to be in the league right now, the upcoming year is the World Cup, and Vancouver is a host city.”
“So maybe the world will be watching Vancouver a bit more as a footballing city, and I want to do my part to help grow it, but I’m not just here to grow it (off the pitch), I want to perform and grow it that way, that’s my approach.”
