Muller delight: German deserves nomination but can’t expect to win Ballon d’Or

What a year it was for Bayern Munich. They secured an unprecedented treble, ending their 12-year wait for a Champions League trophy in the process. 2013 saw them change their manager from Jupp Heynckes to Pep Guardiola and sign their rivals’ Borussia Dortmund’s hottest prospect. But their home-grown base remains, which makes their achievements even more remarkable.

One of six Bayern nominees is the ever-present and reliable German forwardThomas Muller, who is capable of playing many a position. He is comfortable as the striker, a central attacking midfielder and even as a right midfielder. It was an impressive year for Muller, who is an integral, yet largely underrated, player for Germany as well as his club, but whether his individual accomplishments will be recognised in this year’s award ceremonies remains to be seen.

Honours this year

Muller was a key component in Bayern Munich’s record-breaking 2012-13 season in which they strolled to Bundesliga success, won the German Cup and finally beat rivals Dortmund at Wembley to win the Champions League trophy. He was also part of Bayern’s Super Cup winning team over Chelsea.

As well as his Ballon d’Or nomination, Muller was nominated for the Best Player in Europe award which team-mate and fellow Ballon d’Or nominee, Franck Ribery, picked up.

Key stats

Muller is a very well-rounded player which means that it is impossible to pick out one individual statistic. It is his work for Bayern’s unit and his ability to score crucial goals at vital times in matches that has seen him mentioned amongst the elite.

He created 55 chances in the Bundesliga last season, mainly cutting in from the right where he played the majority of his football before Toni Kroos’ injury, before taking a more central role to accommodate Kroos’ replacement Arjen Robben in the latter stages of the campaign.

In fact, only Kroos and Ribery managed to be more creative than Muller himself for Bayern in the Bundesliga. Muller also managed to score 13 times in the league, finishing only two goals behind top scorer Mario Mandzukic as Bayern shared the goals around.

Muller is also somewhat of a duel king, attempting 101 take-ons, contesting in 81 aerial duels and suffering 43 fouls. His ability to track back and win possession back was crucial to Bayern’s system as Muller’s top-notch physical attributes enable him to have a tremendous work ethic. His overall duel success eventually came to a healthy 57%.

Does he deserve his nomination?

Muller is fully deserving of his nomination for his performances in that dominant Bayern side. His versatility and reliability were key to the Bavarians success and his knack of scoring in big games never seems to perish.

His achievements in aiding Germany’s quest to reach the World Cup and secure a seeding for the competition can’t go unnoticed either. He managed an impressive six goals for Germany in 2013 and there is no doubt he will be key at next summer’s tournament.

Can he win it?

As much as the neutral would love to see someone as honest and reliable as Muller win such a prestigious award, it is highly unlikely. There are so many more flair players who provided spectacular moments and records that will be ahead of him in the chase.

Perhaps Muller should aim to finish above as many Bayern team-mates as he can. But in a six-man league against Ribery, Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger, captain Phillip Lahm and Manuel Neuer, he would still face an extremely difficult task.