There’s a ton of video out there of Thomas Müller scoring goals and lifting trophies. There might be almost as much of the famously verbose attacker bantering with teammates and reporters, making faces, being a goof, defying norms and, perhaps, contradicting some old perceptions about what it means to be German.
It’s a rabbit hole. There he is, high kicking like a Rockette during a postgame salute to the crowd, or grabbing a megaphone and shouting toward supporters. Elsewhere, he’s dancing in lederhosen, dumping a glass of beer on a TV announcer, imitating his wife’s horse or cracking dad jokes at a press conference (“LewanGOALski” didn’t land like he hoped, despite multiple attempts.) Müller is part prankster, part provocateur and definitely one of a kind.
There’s one comedic clip that’s worth highlighting with the World Cup underway, however. It was shot inside Rio de Janeiro’s vast Estádio Maracanã moments after Germany defeated Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final. Müller, with his gold medal around his neck, was asked by a TV reporter how it felt to be “this close to being the top striker” at the tournament. Müller, who had claimed the World Cup Golden Boot in ’10, was edged out in Brazil by Colombia’s James Rodríguez.
