Before his legendary career at Bayern Munich, Thomas Müller wanted to join rival club

Back in 2009, Thomas Müller was on the edge of leaving Bayern.
At just 19, he was playing in Bayern Munich’s third division team and struggling to break into the senior squad. Despite getting 11 minutes in the season opener, he didn’t see a future there.

"In January 2009, I actually wanted to leave," Müller later admitted. Hoffenheim, who were joint top of the league at the time, wanted him — and he would’ve been their fifth attacking option. Meanwhile at Bayern, he hadn’t even trained with the first team yet.

But the move fell through. At first, he was frustrated. Looking back now, he calls it a blessing.

Just two months later, Müller made his Champions League debut — and scored. The rest? Pure history. Hoffenheim finished 7th that season, while Müller went on to start 29 matches the next year and win his first Bundesliga title.

Since then, he's added 12 more league titles, becoming a Bayern and Bundesliga legend.