Thomas Muller says he hasn’t decided whether he’ll continue his playing career after the current Major League Soccer season comes to an end. The 37-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder said a number of factors are coming into play as he contemplates his future, and there are “no concrete answers” yet. “It’s always about private situation, it’s about contract, it’s about the city you will live in, it’s about the team perspective, and it’s about obviously about availability — about the body and this whole package,” Muller said after training on Wednesday. “But I feel really comfortable here. I think you could see that I have fun with my team out there on the pitch, and the rest we will see.” The German soccer legend signed with the Whitecaps in August 2025 following 17 seasons with Bayern Munich. There, he scored 250 goals across all competitions, helping the team to 13 league championships and 33 total titles. Muller also won the 2014 World Cup with Germany, scoring five goals in the tournament, and took home the Golden Boot from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, finishing with five goals and three assists. He’s continued to be a dominant force in MLS, tallying 15 goals and 10 assists over 28 regular-season appearances, and helping the ‘Caps reach their first MLS Cup final in December. The competitive desire remains, Muller said. “Otherwise I can stay at home,” he said. “I’m not here to, I don’t know, to run around a little bit. I’m here to compete and that’s almost the only reason. So, as long as you see me here, the competitor is still burning.” Muller has been a critical presence off the pitch, too, said Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen. “One thing is what we see in games, another thing is what we see in everyday work,” he said. “And also what it means having a player like Thomas Muller coming here and you know not being in the focal point of things, only wanting to help the everyday environment get even stronger, more competitive, only wanting to help his teammates getting even better and want to win himself.” Vancouver (25-15-6) has hovered around the top of the Western Conference standings all season and sits in first place heading into a home matchup with D.C. United on Saturday. The ‘Caps have struggled outside of league play, though, and fell to CF Montreal in the semifinal of the Canadian Championship earlier this month. Those results have been difficult for the veteran star to take. “I want to get better. I want still to get better. This team, in my opinion, deserves even better results,” Muller said. “We have to work on it. But, yeah, it’s up and down. I can see more the up. I can feel that we are a very strong side, but there has to be work every day, and so the mission is not done yet.” Muller initially signed a deal with Vancouver through the 2025 MLS season with an option for the 2026 campaign. The league is set to play two seasons in 2027, starting with a condensed “sprint season” from February through May before it switches to the international summer-to-spring calendar. Reaching a new deal with Muller — whether for the spring season or longer — requires more than just a couple of conversations, said Axel Schuster, Vancouver’s sporting director and CEO. “Everything has to fit well,” he said. “There are no reasons to not anticipate that we’re working on something, but to get everything done and also to agree to what everyone at the end feels good about is something that has not happened yet.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2026. Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
