Thomas Muller Ends Remarkable 2015 with Another Decisive Winner at Bayern Munich

Thomas Muller wrapped up the first half of the 2015-16 Bundesliga season with a crowning achievement, reaching a personal record for goals scored in a full campaign despite just half having been played thus far.

The Germany international's first-half penalty lifted the Bavarians to victory over Hannover, increasing his tally to 14 strikes on the season in the German top flight and 21 in all club competitions. And it came just a day after he received a bumper contract that will see him stay in Munich until 2021 as the best-paid player in club history. Suffice to say, it's been a good week for Muller.

In fact, it's been quite a good year for the player. Over the summer, he was repeatedly linked with Manchester United, with the Red Devils reportedly having offered astronomical sums for his services. German tabloid Bild (h/t the Guardian) reported in July that United had offered €100 million to sign Louis van Gaal's former protege.

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge later confirmed to Suddeutsche Zeitung (h/t the Press Association, via ESPN FC) United tabled a "very high" offer.

All the United speculation has brought Muller's name to a new level of recognition as not just another star of world football but one whose name has begun to be spoken in the same sentence as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.

Accordingly, Transfermarkt rates Muller as the seventh-most valuable player in the Champions League, valuing him at €75 million. That's historically superlative among Bundesliga and German players.

For his part, Muller has done his best to justify his continued honors. He scored Bayern's first two goals against both Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. He played a direct part in all three of his club's goals as they knocked holders Wolfsburg out of the DFB-Pokal.

And although he's produced some goals that have done little more than run up the score, eight of his goals and assists have come from non-winning positions. That's pretty decisive, especially for a player whose positioning doesn't even make him the club's primary scoring focal point, as Robert Lewandowski is.

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Bayern Munich announce contract extensions for Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng, Javi Martinez and Xavi Alonso. https://t.co/Q9Y1Qq8fUY

— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) December 18, 2015"

As such, Muller really has earned the €15 million annual wage Bild reported he will earn under the terms of his new contract. If he keeps on his current trajectory, the sky is the limit for Muller. Even at the age of 26, he could well rise to third among Bayern's all-time top scorers this season. His 140 goals leave him just 15 behind Roland Wohlfarth; after that, only Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (218) and Gerd Muller (525) will be ahead. That's good company, indeed.

Looking forward, there's Euro 2016 to consider. Germany have struggled to find their form since winning the 2014 World Cup, but Muller is a player who has scored 10 goals at World Cups and could well propel Germany to success on the European stage.

With Messi, Suarez and Neymar excluded from that tournament, and Ronaldo having always struggled for Portugal at major international competitions, it's a chance for Muller to make another statement and truly make his way into the annals of football's greatest modern players.

In the era of statistics bombardment on social media and YouTube highlight reels, we've seen the definition of greatness shift toward being synonymous with great attacking quality, dazzling technique and the ability to score lots of goals regardless of context and importance.

How refreshing it would be if Muller, a player known more for effectiveness and all-round play than any of the aforementioned, were to buck the trend and force the world to recognize him in the same category as Messi or Ronaldo. It may seem like a long way off, but he made enormous strides in 2015. In a year's time, maybe he'll have taken over the world.

@Mr_Bundesliga