Football History
The Raumdeuter is arguably the most unique position in all of football. This article will show the effectiveness and meaning of the role.
Raumdeuter, meaning “Space Invader” in English, is a playing style which has become well known thanks to Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller. The role only came to light in the past decade as Müller was asked to describe his playing style in a 2011 interview and the word Raumdeuter was the exact description he gave.
So what exactly does a Raumdeuter do? Well a Raumdeuter does not have a specific position on the football field.
The player in this role is given a certain freedom within the final-third, but to be able to play this role, the player must have incredible concentration, great reading of the game, anticipation and most importantly, world class movement in attacking areas.
Thomas Müller is not known for having blistering pace, world class dribbling or even great finishing, but his ability to read the game and use his movement to find the space between the defensive lines is the reason why he scores and assists so many goals season after season.
An example of Müller playing the Raumdeuter role.
Müller has shown that this unique position does reap rewards. In the table below you can see that the German international has managed to get at least twenty goals and assists in the Bundesliga every single season since 09/10 (except for the 18/19 season where he got 18).
Thomas Müller in the Bundesliga
| Season: | Goals: | Assists: |
| 20/21 | 11 | 21 |
| 19/20 | 8 | 21 |
| 18/19 | 6 | 12 |
| 17/18 | 8 | 16 |
| 16/17 | 5 | 15 |
| 15/16 | 20 | 7 |
| 14/15 | 13 | 14 |
| 13/14 | 13 | 11 |
| 12/13 | 13 | 13 |
| 11/12 | 7 | 13 |
| 10/11 | 12 | 13 |
| 09/10 | 13 | 11 |
These stats help back up how important Müller’s Raumdeuter role is to Bayern Munich. Müller’s contributions since 09/10 has helped Bayern win the treble twice along with countless Bundesliga titles.
Although the Raumdeuter role is not widely popular, it is still very effective. When Mauricio Pochettino was manager of Tottenham Hotspur, he used Dele Alli as a Raumdeuter, which worked with great success.
Many argue that football in the current day is more about pace, power and technique, but having a player like Müller in the Raumdeuter role, knowing what position to be in at the perfect time could be the difference in winning games or losing them.
