"As a manager, you need different skills": Doubts over Thomas Müller's suitability as the future boss of FC Bayern Munich

"I've known Thomas for a while now. There's nothing negative you can say about him. He's a very open bloke, always willing to talk and with clear views," said Kahn, before qualifying his statement: "Even if you're a world champion and have won everything, as a club manager you need different skills. Those are more complex today than ever before. I believe it’s impossible without experience and further training. And I’m not talking about some online course on the side.”

Nowadays, a club of FC Bayern Munich’s stature must “develop its own programmes and ideas”, said the 56-year-old. “What is the right path for someone in such a role? How and when are they integrated into which areas? To believe that you’ll eventually bring in a former player simply because of his past: that falls short.”

Even today, he says, it remains the dream scenario for many clubs to appoint former professionals as officials, but leading an entire club is a different kind of challenge: “A former player as CEO is rather rare,” says Kahn.

The former goalkeeper was at the helm of FC Bayern himself from 2021 to 2023, but was forced to step down following a poor season and the controversial sacking of then-manager Julian Nagelsmann.

Müller, on the other hand, played for the German record champions until last summer. After his contract was not renewed, he moved to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the US MLS, where he narrowly missed out on the title in his first season.

Most recently, Bayern’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß had repeatedly spoken out in favour of bringing the 36-year-old back to Munich once his playing career was over and involving him in an operational role there.

Müller himself had been open to the idea of a return and emphasised that he did not want to close any doors: “I’m not one to rule anything out. I generally just let things come my way. If a door was even just ajar and I wanted to go through it, I’ve always managed to do so in the past.”