Muller savours 'special' Bundesliga title triumph with Bayern
Thomas Muller admitted his latest Bundesliga title winners' medal was "special" given he had to force his way back into the Bayern Munich team.
Muller and his team-mates lifted the trophy on Saturday having rounded off their 2019-20 league campaign with a 4-0 win at Wolfsburg.
The 30-year-old has been a key part of Bayern's eighth successive title having contributed a Bundesliga-record 21 assists to go along with eight goals.
However, Muller only started half of Bayern's first 10 games under Niko Kovac, before becoming a leading light again under current boss Hansi Flick.
The improved form led to Muller signing a new contract in April and he noted that his journey to a ninth title with Bayern meant he was all the more grateful for the medal he collected.
"Autumn was not easy - both for the club and for me," Muller told Sky.
"So after my first championship it was perhaps the most special, the most intense, the most emotional.
Most goals:
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernUS) June 27, 2020
Most assists:
No better duo in #MEI8TER pic.twitter.com/Jb0nv6ZYlk
"You noticed that the young players are listening to you somehow. I'm usually a long way from pride, but maybe people would call it that."
The Bundesliga was the first of the major European leagues to resume in May following the coronavirus-enforced break and Bayern picked up where they left off by winning each of their nine matches after the restart.
Such consistency after a long period without games delighted Flick.
"I am just proud of how we presented ourselves in the past months," he added.
"The season went perfectly for us. We were of course very relieved that we could continue playing after the corona break.
"The Bundesliga went ahead in Europe, which was also an outstanding achievement. In this respect it is a very special championship for us."