By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- You rarely find a name of similar symbolic power in German football than Muller. Its origin goes back to the legendary Gerd Muller, who scored 365 goals in 427 league games between 1964 and 1979.
So revered were Muller's goalscoring talents that generations of TV and radio reporters only needed two words to describe what had happened on the pitch. "Muller, goal" was always enough.
In the 2018/2019 Bundesliga season, the name Muller once again seems to play a vital role as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund battle for the national championship. This time it is 29-year-old Thomas Muller who finds himself at the forefront of the nation's attention.
Statistics indicate his presence alone turns his side into winners. Whenever the former German international scored, his club didn't lose. Of 87 games with Muller scoring, the Bavarians have won 82 and drawn five.
While his namesake was invariably found inside the box, Thomas Muller has a few more strings to his bow, having delivered four assists in the last five league games. The Bavaria native is his team's natural supplier.
"You just can't stop him as defenders don't seem to get hold of him," Bayern coach Niko Kovac commented after his side reclaimed the Bundesliga lead with only five rounds of matches to go. "He seems everywhere at the same time, and that makes him that valuable for us."
Today's Muller seems in the best shape ever after surviving dark days around Bayern's last-16 tie against Liverpool in the Champions League. Some assume Bayern were eliminated because Muller was banned after receiving a red card in the last group match against Ajax.
Now the 2014 World Cup winner is back just in time to make his team happy again.
In fact, with Muller on the pitch, Bayern are scoring more goals. The results of the last league games tell their own story: 5-1, 6-0, 6-0, 1-1, 5-0 and 4-1.
Since 2014, the 2010 World Cup top goalscorer has in only one season scored more goals than he has delivered assists. "I know exactly what makes strikers happy as I am a striker myself," he commented.
Bayern's attacking spearhead Robert Lewandowski calls himself the "best customer" of the "assist delivering service." The Pole said, "Thomas is a generally forward-looking performer and always in motion."
"With him around, we always have a new force in the box, and I don't have to carry all of the defenders on my shoulders. I just get much more space when he is behind me," the Polish team captain emphasized.
With his most admired team-mate around, the 30-year-old scored eight goals in the last six league matches.
It is apparent that Muller is not only a good luck charm for Lewandowski but for Bayern's other forwards too. Four of Serge Gnabry's nine goal were laid on by Muller.
Since he was dropped from the German national team by coach Joachim Loew a few weeks ago, Muller seems to have developed additional motivation. "He wants to prove he is still reaching the highest standards in football," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.
And after all, with his unconventional striker in his starting eleven, struggling Bayern coach Kovac seems to have found the way back to success.
Bayern face Werder Bremen on home soil on matchday 30 this Saturday, while rival Dortmund travel to meet SC Freiburg on Sunday.
