Germany’s Thomas Müller Credits A Malaysian Coach For Helping Him Become Who He Is Today

But did you know that before all the fame and glory, he used to train with a Malaysian coach?

Meet Lim Teong Kim, a 54-year-old Malaccan who was our former Malaysian international defender back in the day, and also served as a coach at the Bayern Munich Youth Academy. Lim served his role at the academy from 2001 until 2013.

In an interview with The Straits Times, Müller credited Lim for helping to shape him during his formative years at the youth academy.

“I learnt very much from him. He has a great eye for tactics and to take the right positions on the pitch. He was one of the first coaches I learnt football from, so I enjoyed it very much,” he told the Singapore daily during his stop to the City of Lion recently.

Apart from Müller, Lim also mentored other international Bayern Munich stars such as Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Toni Kroos.

Lim returned to Malaysia after his 12-year stint with the German team and is now the Project Director of The National Football Development Programme (NFDP) under the Youth and Sports Ministry. He earned 76 caps with the national team and more than a decade of experiences with Bayern Munich.

So fellas, when are you guys coming down to Malaysia? We bet you’ve got tonnes of fans here waiting to meet you.