Bayern legend Muller bows out with milestone brace at Club World Cup

His departure marks the end of an era. After a lifetime in red, the 35-year-old is preparing to bring down the curtain on his Bayern career on the world stage. But before doing so, he added another achievement to his glittering career – reaching a remarkable 250 goals for the Bavarian giants.

The landmark came with relative ease in what was essentially a training exercise for Vincent Kompany's side, who strolled to a double-digit win in their tournament opener. Muller, starting from the off, capped the scoreline with two vintage strikes.

His first came on the stroke of half-time, tucking away a waist-high delivery from Michael Olise to make it 5-0. Then, in the 89th minute, he drifted to the far post to finish off a cross from Serge Gnabry, putting the seal on a dominant 10-0 display.

Already Bayern's most capped player, Muller will leave the club ranked behind only Robert Lewandowski (344) and Gerd Muller (570) in the club's all-time scoring charts, having long since overtaken Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (217) and Rainer Ohlhauser (229).

What sets the midfielder apart is the versatility with which he's compiled such staggering numbers. Rarely a traditional striker, he has seamlessly drifted between roles – winger, No.10, and even a nominal centre-forward – always delivering both goals and assists in abundance. In 11 of his 16 full seasons with the senior side, he reached double figures for both.

In total, Muller has amassed 250 goals and 235 assists in a Bayern shirt, with personal bests of 32 goals in 2015/16 and 25 assists in 2019/20. His contribution across the pitch has been immense – tactically intelligent, positionally unique and relentlessly effective.

With his outing against Auckland City, he made his 752nd appearance for the club – further extending his lead at the top of Bayern's all-time appearance list. Behind him are Sepp Maier (709), Oliver Kahn (632), Gerd Muller (613), and Franz Beckenbauer (584).

Of the chasing pack, only Manuel Neuer (currently on 557) remains active. Though Muller had hoped to continue, the club ultimately chose not to offer him a contract extension.

While his future remains undecided, the World Cup winner is savouring every remaining moment of his Munich chapter – still competing, still smiling, and still scoring.