Thomas Muller could leave Brazil with another Golden Boot, but all the Bavarian boy-next-door really cares about is winning Sunday's final to take the World Cup home to Germany.
Muller, 24, has come a long way since Diego Maradona famously mistook him for a ball boy following his Germany debut in a 1-0 defeat to Argentina in Munich in 2010.
Muller had the last laugh in Cape Town four months later, when Germany romped to a 4-0 win over Maradona’s Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Germany finished third at the last World Cup and Muller left South Africa with the Golden Boot and the Best Young Player award.
Four years on, Maradona dubbed Muller “El Flaco” – the Skinny One – after the German’s hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Portugal in the opening group match.
But unlike the controversial Maradona, Muller is not a complicated character.
The lanky goal-scorer is the joker in Germany’s pack who visits his parents once a month and married his sweetheart.
He looks like he would be just as comfortable serving in the local restaurant of his upper Bavarian home village as scoring goals for Bayern Munich or Germany.
Fancy cars are not his thing.
Instead, he owns 30 horses as his wife, Lisa, whom he met when he was 17 and married at age 20, is a dressage rider. The couple also have two dogs named Micky and Murmel.
Born in September 1989, just two months before the Berlin Wall came down, Muller rose through Bayern’s youth teams and is now one of their top earners.
Having spent the season on the wing for Bayern, coach Joachim Loew switched him to striker for Germany’s first game and he promptly netted a hat-trick against Portugal.
He followed up with the winner against the United States in the final group match, then reverted to the wing, from where he converted a Toni Kroos corner which started the rout in the semi-final hammering of hosts Brazil.
So is he a striker or a midfielder?
“No idea,” was his simple reply.
It does not matter to him, just like the prospect of leaving Brazil with another Golden Boot after claiming five goals and three assists, the same tally as four years ago.
“It’s only relevant in that the more goals I score for Germany, the higher our chance of winning the title,” he said.
Muller’s strength is his running.
In his 562 World Cup minutes, he has covered 68.8 kilometres – the most in the German squad – but off the field, he is regarded as the squad’s clown.
Bastian Schweinsteiger gave a telling answer when asked about facing Bayern teammate and Brazil defender Dante before the semi-final thrashing.
“Dante knows exactly how we play – except for Thomas Muller. That’s something we never know ourselves,” he said.
But Muller becomes deadly serious when asked how the final will compare to his three Uefa Champions League final appearances with Bayern.
"A World Cup final is the biggest game that a footballer can experience," he said.
“It comes every four years and stands head and shoulders over a Champions League final. Just as large is the anticipation before it.”
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at @SprtNationalUAE