What the Whitecaps can expect from German soccer legend Thomas Muller

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The Thomas Müller who was to step off the plane Vancouver International Airport late Wednesday afternoon will be a very fit Thomas Müller.

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After a summer run at the Club World Cup with Bayern Munich, the only club he has known — since he was 10 years old — he has kept training with his old club.

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That has been very evident from his energetic social media presence.

It’s something to understand about Herr Raumdeuter — he’s not a shy man. While most of Vancouver’s current crop of male sporting stars are more reserved — Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Ryan Gauld, Nathan Rourke, none are known for a vibrant public presence — Müller is very conscious of putting his personality, and his best foot, forward at all times.

This is a guy who was a thrilling young star at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. And a key veteran in Germany’s 2014 World Cup triumph.

That his image rights were a mildly complicated part of his contract negotiation really shouldn’t come as a surprise when you realize he has his own website — not to mention his active use of social media to promote his causes and just general day-to-day good humour.

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“Where is Manuel Neuer,” he joked on his Instagram for a post he made just after boarding his Lufthansa flight from Munich to Vancouver on Wednesday. Neuer, a goalie and his legendary teammate for Bayern and Munich, was his seatmate for flights during their time together.

You can subscribe to a monthly newsletter from his website where he shares thoughts on what has being going on in his world. In his latest missive, sent out last week, he talked about how Vancouver and its environs intrigue him. He loves golf, he pointed out, something you can easily gather from his Instagram, and there’s no doubt he will quickly come to appreciate the quality local courses.

He’s also been told he will love Vancouver Island. “Water, forest and mountains,” he wrote. “You can be at the beach … and go to the mountains right after.”

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It’s clear he knows where he is headed. This is a city and a region that loves to get out into nature, and he is a fan of activity like that.

He’s on an adventure, he has said. He’s here to win titles. The Whitecaps know very well the player they are getting.

Sporting director axel Schuster told German news site Bild that Müller is coming to be a player for them, to help this smaller club win the championship. They weren’t after someone just to be a brand ambassador — although there’s little doubt the club knows Muller is going to be mean big things for the club’s bottom line, assuming all goes well.

On the pitch, his utility will be obvious. It’s hard to imagine him popping straight into the starting lineup on Sunday vs. Houston, given his first training session with his new teammates won’t be until Friday. (He is meeting the media for the first time on Thursday, with the bulk of the Whitecaps squad playing in Hamilton on Wednesday evening for the first leg of their Canadian Championship semifinal against Forge FC, and thus getting Thursday off from training.)

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Caps head coach Jesper Sorensen admitted on CKNW last week that Ryan Gauld, the Whitecaps’ erstwhile best player, could miss the rest of the season because of his knee capsule problem that first sidelined him in March. That opens the door wide to Müller playing as a creator right behind striker Brian White.

That is a role that Müller has filled with aplomb for much of the last decade. He was once primarily a finisher, but the 35-year-old has become much more of a creator in his later years.

The Whitecaps already play a highly creative, highly attacking style. Müller will fit that perfectly.

Like his arrival at YVR, with a slew of fans and reporters in attendance, this is surely going to be fun.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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