Former Germany midfielder Thomas Müller has asked the public to have a slightly more humble attitude regarding the national team's chances of winning the 2026 World Cup.
"Of course, as a football nation, we in Germany have certain expectations. But you can't expect the team to march toward the title from start to finish," the 2014 world champion said during an event at the German House of Soccer in New York on Wednesday.
"But in Germany, when people talk about the World Cup, that's often the general tone and the underlying expectation."
Germany started the tournament with a 7-1 win against underdogs Curaçao and next up face Ivory Coast on Saturday.
"I think we should first give ourselves a chance to grow into this knock-out stage, and also evaluate our performance, not just the result," said Müller.
"We should talk less about the final and more about the fact that there's a path we need to take, and we'll tackle it together."
The most important, however, is that Germany is in position to beat any opponent, Müller stressed.
"If I had to compare, I'd say we're more in a 2010 kind of mode, where we're very, very strong contenders," he said. Back then, Germany finished third in the World Cup.
Müller retired from international football after Euro 2024. Last year, he left his boyhood club Bayern Munich, where he had a glistering career, and joined the Vancouver Whitecaps.
