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The burning Whitecaps question: will Thomas Muller be back? We don't know.

There's a "sprint" season next spring, then a full 2027-28 season. Will the German superstar be back for either?

Published Sep 25, 2026  •  Last updated 1 day ago  •  2 minute read

Thomas Müller #13 of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC looks on during the first half of an MLS game between Real Salt Lake and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at America First Field on September 19. Photo by Alex Goodlett /Getty Images

The Whitecaps need an owner.

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They say they need a new stadium.

And, it’s fair to say, they need to know if they still have a superstar for next season.

Since arriving just over a year ago, Thomas Müller has changed the conversation around Vancouver’s favourite soccer team. Since they joined Major League Soccer in 2011, the team has had some fun, won some games, but there were many stumbles and generally a lack of spending — certainly not spending that you could say was on-point and effective.

But since the arrival of Axel Schuster in 2019, and especially since he dumped Marc Dos Santos as coach in 2021, the team has taken a bigger, braver and bolder approach.

The boldest to date was signing Müller in 2025, bringing in a player that started as something of a pipe dream but which quickly morphed into something the player wanted himself. A World Cup winner, a true player for all times, Müller has been a revelation for Vancouver even as he hits 37 years old.

But just like the future of the Whitecaps in Vancouver, Müller’s future remains uncertain. What he knows is that he is facing D.C. United at B.C. Place on Saturday, then there are eight more league games to be played beyond that, then the playoffs. The Caps have crashed out of the Canadian Championship. but the MLS Supporters’ Shield remains a possibility, as does the MLS Cup.

Müller came to win trophies, he has long said, and that is still in the cards. But what his future beyond this year looks like, he admits, is far from certain.

“It’s always about a private situation, it’s about contract, it’s about the city you will live in, it’s about the team perspective, and it’s obviously about availability — about the body and this whole package,” the German forward said earlier this week.

“But I feel really comfortable here. I think you could see that I have fun with my team out there on the pitch. And the rest, we will see.”

Schuster didn’t dodge a question on Müller’s future when asked earlier this week, although he joked Müller isn’t the only player who needs a new contract.

“He’s a pretty big one,” Schuster began. “But pretty big ones also mean that you don’t do them just in two conversations. So everything has to fit well. There are no reasons to not anticipate that we’re working on something.”

In other words, yes, they’ve had talks. Müller’s contract, though, isn’t as simple as it is for others. He is more than just a player — he’s a commercial entity in his own right.

“But to get everything done and also to agree to what everyone at the end feels good about is something that has not happened yet,” Schuster said.

So Müller could be back, but it’s also clear that is far from certain.

Buckle up.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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