Two more goals and an assist came in the last-16 dismissal of England, followed by the opener in the quarter-final thrashing of Argentina. He made just his third appearance for the German national team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup opener against Australia, scoring his first international goal and laying on another for Lukas Podolski in a 4-0 win. Voted Germany's Young Player of the Year and included in the Bundesliga Team of the Season, Müller was ready to take his newfound status global.

But I would say that my biggest influence was Louis van Gaal, because I was at the best age to be influenced.' For us players, it's difficult to talk about coaches while we're still active. 'I made my debut before he arrived, but he then relied on me continually. 'He threw me in at the deep end,' the Bayern forward explained to Goal in 2016. To this day, Müller credits the Dutch tactician with playing a crucial role in his development. 'Even if Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are available, Müller will always play in my team,' Van Gaal famously said at the time. Incredibly - for someone with just 28 minutes of top-flight football under his belt - Müller featured in every single game of the season, repaying Van Gaal's faith with 13 goals and 10 assists as Bayern completed a Bundesliga and DFB Cup double. Klinsmann left Bayern and was replaced by Louis van Gaal, who instantly recognised Müller's immense potential. He was recalled to the first team in the latter stages of the campaign, making another three substitute appearances, but it was only in 2009/10 that he really began to make a name for himself. Watch: Müller's extraordinary journey from Pähl to the pinnacle of world football.Īfter that fleeting cameo against HSV, Müller spent the remainder of the season with the reserves, netting an impressive 15 goals in the third tier. Now, well over a decade later, he is footballing royalty, but back then nothing hinted at the remarkable career path that lay in store. Müller made his Bundesliga debut a month before his 19th birthday, coming on as a late substitute for Miroslav Klose against Hamburg on the opening day in 2008/09.

'But when I listened to my voicemail later, it was Jürgen Klinsmann.' 'I didn't pick up the phone at first,' Müller admitted, when the 1990 FIFA World Cup winner called to announce his promotion to the first team squad. He enjoyed a breakout season with the U19s in 2007/08, hitting 18 goals in 26 games - and catching the eye of then head coach Jürgen Klinsmann. He joined Bayern as a 10-year-old in the summer of 2000, and quickly set about climbing through the club ranks. Born in Weilheim, young Thomas grew up in the small village of Pähl, around 30 miles southwest of Munich. All the goals from UEFA EURO 2008 are here from the first goal in the opening game to the decisive strike from Fernando Torres in the final - 'EXPECT EMOTIONS!' Includes over an hour of bonus footage.There is more to being Müller than being Bavarian, of course, but it definitely helps - that much is obvious when he does the rounds of the FCB supporters' clubs in the run-up to Christmas. David Villa, winner of the Golden Boot, scored a hattrick for UEFA EURO 2008 champions Spain, who scored a total of 12 goals in the tournament. Fantastic attacking football, nail-biting penalty shoot outs and amazing goals throughout the competition made the tournament one of the most exciting European Championships ever! The competition featured a total of 77 goals and an average of 2.48 goals per match.

Czech player Václav Svérkos was the first to score a goal at the UEFA EURO 2008 in the opening game against host Switzerlnd. Show more Show less The greatest players of Europe from 16 qualifying teams came together in Austria and Switzerland in June to compete in Europe's biggest tournament, the UEFA EURO '008! The tournament kicked off on Saturday 7th June in Basel, Switzerlnd.

Uefa euro 2008 all goals