Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany paid tribute to veteran striker Thomas Müller, who made the most of his sixth start of the season in all competitions in Tuesday's Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Müller scored the goal that gave Bayern the lead that evening, after initially being 1-0 down after five minutes. He remained influential as his side ran riot, eventually winning 5–1.
“His goal is a quality he always had in his career. Just at the right time, in the right place and he scored the goal very efficiently,” Kompany said after the defeat.
“Then of course the energy, the passion, the leadership. For us it is very important to have a good balance between experienced players and young players who still have to grow.”
At the age of 35, Muller had only started one of his side's previous five matches in the Champions League this season but was on hand to come on for the injured Harry Kane.
A 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 STAR PERFORMANCE #FCBayern #MiaSanMia | #SHAFCB #UCL pic.twitter.com/WELoxugaGn
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) December 10, 2024
Despite his small role this season, Kompany was keen to emphasize the importance of having such an experienced player in the squad.
“I think it has always been clear that he still plays a very important role for us, even if sometimes it is not every minute in the season, sometimes it is normal,” said Kompany.
“I think because he has so much experience he knows how important these moments are.
“He can turn a game around, but we play in the Champions League. You can't always play a completely dominant game without the opponents having a chance.
“At that moment it was his chance and he did something important for the team. Of course, overall I think we were very dominant, we played well and that was an important moment.”
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