by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- As if at the push of a button, Thomas Muller turned into a multitasking on-pitch manager when Bayern Munich crushed VfB Stuttgart 3-0 on Sunday.
Back as a starter from his usual role as a substitute, the 34-year-old gave proof of his value despite having lost his position as a regular in Bayern's starting 11.
Furthermore, the veteran has been struggling for playing minutes over the past months despite being praised as the club's icon and crowdpleaser.
Having only played 436 minutes of 1080 in the league and 705 of 1620 in all competitions, the Bavarian idol has also endured decreasing playing time in Germany's national team.
With Bayern having to replace six regulars against Stuttgart, Muller stepped in as a game-changer as if he had never left.
Behind the scenes, officials and coaches at the record German champions fought a secret battle to keep the forward, as his influence goes beyond the pitch.
The forward expressed his attention to playing until at least 2025, and revealed that he was considering leaving Bayern if no satisfying deal could be reached.
Several media reported that a deal is done, and the 2014 World Cup winner will extend his contract for another year until 2025.
While his club faced several significant injury losses shortly before kick-off against Stuttgart, Muller naturally slipped into the role of the team's leading conductor.
For the past months, Muller, who has 126 caps for Germany, only occasionally expressed his dissatisfaction about having turned into a backbencher, but has become more of an advisor for younger teammates, in addition to his contributions as a leader.
12 Bundesliga titles, two Champions League trophies and five German Cups tells the story of success of a player who has spent his entire career at Bayern.
Loyalty seems a natural thing for him, as fans and club members cannot imagine seeing him in the shirt of a different club.
After 684 games, 279 goals and 266 assists, Muller had to deal with changes in the autumn of his career that started over 23 years ago.
Muller might be one of the rare examples of how a football turns someone into a folk hero who stands for more than just the game.
Muller constantly shows his Bavarian heart and always turns up in his team's darkest hours to frankly talk to fans and media.
An unorthodox playing style saw him given the nickname of 'Raumdeuter', or 'space finder', frequently turning up out of the blue to score or deliver a deadly assist.
While the idol fought for a new contract despite his age and proved his value, Bayern's leaders quickly got the message that not keeping him might cause large-scale protests from supporters. ■
