For a man who called himself “the space interpreter”, Thomas Muller’s entrance is almost comically on-brand. He just suddenly appears in the box — Bayern Munich’s windowless press conference room, in this particular case — having found a way in through a disused side-door. “Where have you come from?” asks his team-mate Serge Gnabry in genuine wonderment. “Through the kitchen,” Muller shoots back, taking visible pride in his intricate knowledge of the club’s HQ layout.



Gnabry, here for an TV interview, has shown up in a dust-coloured, spotted streetwear shell top. It’s an invitation for some gentle mocking that Muller simply can’t resist. “You’re a leopard!”, he shouts. But the 30-year-old is himself surprisingly fashionable, combining a soft blue jumper with grey flannel trousers. It’s a Prada nerd-deluxe look with a hint of landed gentry, which is, of course what Muller is,...