15 minutes have been played between FC Bayern and Borussia Mönchengladbach when Thomas Müller has already finished work. Because a teammate is sent off and a defender is missing, coach Julian Nagelsmann takes his captain off the field. Who had reached a special mark with the kick-off.
It was supposed to be a very special game for Thomas Müller, but it was a very bitter one, at least on a personal level. The 2014 world champion captained FC Bayern in the Bundesliga game at Borussia Mönchengladbach and, with his 429th appearance in Germany’s top division, moved up to shared second place in FC Bayern’s record list. With him in second place is Oliver Kahn, now CEO, only goalkeeper legend Sepp Maier has appeared more often for Bayern Munich, a total of 473 times. And then Müller had to leave the field again after 15 minutes.
What happened? In the 8th minute, Dayot Upamecano engaged in a running duel with Gladbach striker Alassane Plea, who sat in front of the Bayern defender and crossed his path. Plea fell just before the penalty area, referee Tobias Welz gave Gladbach a free kick – and Upamecano was sent off. After a long consultation with the video assistant, the decision was made: red for the central defender, more than 80 minutes for Borussia.
The cameras first panned to Matthijs de Ligt, who warmed up on the sidelines, but then stayed on the bench. Coach Julian Nagelsmann decided to fill up the decimated defensive line with João Cancelo, who had also initially sat outside. Who had to leave the field for this? Thomas Müller, the club legend in the record game. Benjamin Pavard moved to Upamecano’s central position, while Cancelo moved to the outside of the back line.
Müller’s 159th substitution in his long Bundesliga career is likely to go down in the statistics as one of the most bitter experiences in this regard – especially since the 33-year-old had led his team onto the field as captain. What should annoy the offensive player even more: Lars Stindl scored between the red card and substitution in the 13th minute to give Borussia the lead, which regularly causes problems for FC Bayern.
