Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller is once again rooting for Team India to win the ICC Cricket World Cup. The tournament, which is held once every four years, is currently being hosted in India, with the Blues currently unbeaten in the tournament so far. With the group stage almost over, India is set to face New Zealand in the semi-finals later this week.
Müller took to Twitter to reveal that he had been sent a shirt by the Indian cricket team, and once again reaffirmed his support for the Blues.
This isn’t the first time Müller has donned an Indian cricket jersey — back in 2019, he posed (via Twitter) with a cricket bat and wished the Blues all the best in the tournament. Unfortunately that World Cup did not go to plan for India, as they succumbed in the semi-final to eventual runners-up New Zealand.
While the connection between Müller and cricket may seem out of left field, but he has previously expressed an understanding of the game and it’s significance in India. Speaking in 2019, he said the following (via Goal):
“I had a big game there (in India), there were a lot of people there, it was nice,” Muller told Indian media after his team’s 3-0 win against FC Schalke on Saturday. Speaking about the differences with which the sport is consumed in both the countries, he added, “ A whole country (Germany) loves the sport, like cricket in India. They talk about football (everyday). They love to watch it, it’s a very emotional game. The weak team can win the game.”
“We hope the Indian fans will support us, we have big plans for this season again, we hope to reach the CL final. Fans in India can look forward to us playing good football, we love to have the support from India.”
Speaking as a fan of Indian cricket, Bayern Munich, and Thomas Müller in particular, these small crossover moments between the two sports always feels extremely special. While the Bundesliga lags behind the Premier League and La Liga in terms of popularity, these attempts at outreach by Müller and Bayern can only help endear the league to an untapped legion of potential fans.
