Mueller ´proud´ of World Cup feats

Germany’s Thomas Mueller said he was proud to have beaten such esteemed company to the Golden Boot award at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The 21-year-old forward, who plies his trade for German powerhouse Bayern Munich, joined Uruguay’s Diego Forlan, Spain’s David Villa and the Netherland’s Wesley Sneijder in scoring five goals during the tournament.

But Mueller won the award by virtue of his three assists, capping an incredible tournament for the attacker in which he was also voted the best young player.

When asked upon accepting the award at a ceremony in Nuremberg, Mueller said the Golden Ball trophy was the crowning achievement of his year.

“Absolutely it’s the Golden Boot for the simple reason that the competition was much stronger,” Mueller told Goal.com.

“Only players born after a certain date come into contention for the young player award. However, to have won (the Golden Boot) against the best the game has to offer, against players such as David Villa, Diego Forlan and Wesley Sneijder is great.”

Mueller claimed he was surprised by his success in South Africa, given it was his first appearance at a World Cup finals and the fact he was selected in the Germany squad more for a midfield role than a striking one.

“It’s unbelievable that already at my first World Cup I became the top scorer,” he said.

“I really didn’t think of it when I went there as a midfielder and didn’t expect to score so many goals.”

“I’m very proud of the fact that I made it to the top of the list and am now following in the footsteps of previous trophy winners like Ronaldo, Gerd Muller and Just Fontaine.”