‘Fully into it:’ Vancouver Whitecaps sign former Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller

The Vancouver Whitecaps have pulled off the biggest signing in club history, landing German soccer star Thomas Muller.

Thomas Muller says his skills speak for themselves. The main thing he wants Vancouver Whitecaps supporters to know about his transfer to the Major League Soccer club is that he’s “fully into it.”

The Whitecaps pulled off the biggest signing in club history, adding the 2014 World Cup champion and longtime Bayern Munich star to a club that has spent the entire season pushing for top spot in the Western Conference.

“They (fans) can expect that I’m always 100 per cent,” Muller said in a video provided by the club. “You can watch my skills in YouTube videos or several TV shows, but you can expect that I’m fully into it. And for me, that’s the most important part.”

The club announced the move Wednesday. While a dollar figure was not disclosed, Muller has signed for the remainder of the 2025 season with a Designated Player option for 2026.

Muller is expected to arrive in Vancouver next Wednesday, with his first training session set for Thursday.

Muller helped lead Germany to the 2014 World Cup title, scoring five goals in the tournament. He had also won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, finishing with five goals and three assists.

He will occupy an international roster slot and is expected to take one of the club’s vacant spots on the season-ending injury list, pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC), visa and work permit.

The 35-year-old attacking midfielder came up through Bayern Munich’s academy and spent 17 years with the German Bundesliga side.

He scored 250 goals for Bayern across all competitions and helped the team to 13 league championships, but his contract was not renewed after last season.

“Our approach was only going after the football player Thomas Muller, and not his big name, his brand, his famous face,” Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster said in a video.

“We wanted to convince him in the area that excites him the most,” Schuster added. “He loves this game so much, and he wants to continue because he wants to play the game.

“Everything else came for us second, and we only started that after he said ‘Yes, I’m in.’”

Muller talked with former teammate Alphonso Davies about the club and the city after deciding to make the move to Vancouver. Davies, a star player with Bayern and captain of Canada’s national team, started his career as a teenager with the Whitecaps before joining the German powerhouse in January 2019.

“He told me a lot of good things about the city and the Whitecaps,” said Muller. “So I was a little bit pumped, but the decision was made.

“I didn’t need Alphonso’s opinion, but it was important for me just to double-check.”

To complete the signing, the Whitecaps acquired Muller’s MLS discovery rights from FC Cincinnati in exchange for up to $400,000 in General Allocation Money.

He joins a Whitecaps (13-5-6) team that has spent much of the Major League Soccer season hovering around the top of the Western Conference standings.

Under first-year head coach Jesper Sorensen, the club has exceeded expectations this year, not only in league play, but by making it to the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, where they fell 5-0 to LIGA MX side Cruz Azul.

Muller said he is looking forward to working with Sorensen.

“He has a great mindset,” Muller said. “You feel it when you talk with him. He’s very clear what he wants.”

Muller is the latest international star to make the jump to MLS.

Argentine forward Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023 following a long career with Barcelona and a stint at Paris Saint-Germain. The 38-year-old currently leads MLS in scoring with 18 goals on the season.

English midfielder David Beckham was one of the first European stars to move to MLS. He signed with the L.A. Galaxy in 2007 after playing for top clubs such as Manchester United and Real Madrid, and won the MLS Cup in 2011 and 2012.

Beckham remains involved with the league as an owner of Inter Miami.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2025.