Thomas Müller began his journey to Vancouver on Wednesday. Beforehand, Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster once again impressively explained how he was able to convince the Bayern icon to move to Canada.
It has been exactly one week since the official announcement of Thomas Müller’s transfer to the Vancouver Whitecaps. Until now, the 2014 World Cup winner had been training at home, but on Wednesday he began his adventure in Vancouver. At the airport, he admitted to Sky: “I’m a little nervous, of course, for me. It’s the first time in a long time that I’m joining a new team. I’m looking forward to it, but I’m also a little tense.”
What can Müller expect? “I just want to settle in quickly, get on the pitch and get to know the guys,” said the Bayern legend. “You want to get to know the guys on the pitch. It’s about the sport and I hope I can settle into the league relatively quickly. Of course, it may take a few weeks, we’ll see. I’m fit. We’ll see about the rest.”
Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster is taking the pressure off Müller early on. “I don’t think it will be that stressful because we want to help him integrate as a player as quickly as possible and be ready to take on the role on the field,” said the 53-year-old, adding: “We’re almost certain to make the playoffs. I think we only need one more win from eight games. Of course, we want more wins, but the next few weeks are about Thomas finding his role and focusing on the essentials: soccer.“
”We’ve never sold as many jerseys as we did on the day the transfer was announced.”
Schuster also knows that this was no ordinary transfer. “The reactions were extraordinary,” he admits openly: “This is by far the biggest signing our club has ever made. The enthusiasm is huge. All games for the rest of the season will be sold out.” A “big party” is expected at the airport arrival.
The rush for jerseys with Müller’s name on them was also huge. “Our fan shop had the biggest sales day in the club’s history – we’ve never sold as many jerseys as we did on the day the announcement was made,” explains Schuster.
Some people are still wondering how Vancouver managed to win the bid. Schuster reveals his “ace in the hole”: “I had a bit of an advantage in that I probably know Thomas better than any other sporting director in our league. Above all, I had the opportunity to read and listen to all his interviews over many years, which gave me a feel for what interests him and what he really cares about.”
In the end, the Cologne native “convinced him on a sporting level.” Because: “We have a team that is currently competing for titles, we are very ambitious. And we signed him solely as a player – as someone who will help our team win a title this year.”
In the playoffs, Vancouver has “lacked experience in the decisive games” in the past. That’s exactly where he comes in. Everything else will follow.
Schuster, who considers the top MLS games to be “second division level,” was also able to convince Müller with one of the “ten most livable cities in the world.” “We have mountains for skiing and beaches like in California.” For Müller, a native Bavarian, there will also be something for him off the pitch at the end of the day.
