“He paved the way for us.”

Thomas Müller took care to employ some special words for his departed fellow footballing legend Franz Beckenbauer when speaking to German broadcaster DAZN last night. Young German phenom Jamal Musiala added his own fond words as well. 

FC Bayern München’s 3-0 win over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim last night kicked a weekend of pre-match tributes to departed German footballing legend Franz Beckenbauer off properly. Though neither Thomas Müller (34) or Jamal Musiala (20) are old enough to have watched the “Kaiser” in person on the football pitch, the pair of Bayern stars expressed their gratitude for the iconic figure who paved a path for them.

“He’s a legend,” brace-scorer Jamal Musiala noted in his post-match interview with German broadcaster DAZN, “We wanted to come out and give everything to win the game and pay tribute to him. I think we did that well.”

“I was able to learn a lot from the way he went though life,” Müller added, “Sometimes it’s just about enjoying life, enjoying football, and winning together. Franz was a good role model in that respect.”

“One can hardly imagine what FC Bayern München would look like without him and that generation,” Müller continued, “He paved the way for us. It’s hard to find the right words. I think, accordingly, one can simply say ‘thank you’.”

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