Life after Thomas Müller offers uncertainty for Bayern Munich

The last time Bayern Munich entered a cup competition without Thomas Müller, some of us were a lot younger and others were not even born.

Yup, it has been a ride.

For head coach Vincent Kompany, it will be…weird.

“I don’t know what it’ll be like without him yet; he trained with us a few more times. I’ll keep a special feeling for him; he was very positively intense. I believe his influence and this move will be special for his life experience. I can already imagine how he’ll influence the dressing room in Canada. But for us, it’s a matter of who will occupy that spot in the dressing room,” Kompany said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund acknowledged that things will, indeed, be different.

“He played a leading role, provided a lot of entertainment, and was a topic of conversation. But it’s also an opportunity for other players to step into other roles. Life thrives on change, and so does football – but he was, of course, a special player and a special personality,” Freund said.

Bayern Munich travels to VfB Stuttgart for the Beckenbauer Supercup (formerly the DFL-Supercup) in what should be a highly anticipated match-up between two teams with high hopes for the 2025/26 season.

VfB Stuttgart advanced to the Beckenbauer Supercup by virtue of winning the DFB-Pokal, while Bayern Munich will be playing because it won the Bundesliga championship. Let’s get into all of the ins and outs of this showdown (including the awkwardness of the situation given how Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart are battling over Nick Woltemade).