MUNICH — Almost 24 hours later, Thomas Müller was still laughing at the film.
The previous day, he had traveled to Waging am See, a lakeside resort town deep in the Bavarian countryside, about 100 miles east of Munich. Summer brings droves of tourists, but out of season the village is hushed, drowsy. It has the air of a place suspended in the moment.
The pristine streets felt especially empty on the Sunday of Müller’s visit. Most of the town, it seemed, was in the Strandkurhaus, a cavernous bierkeller on the lakefront, eagerly awaiting his arrival. He had been sent by his soccer team, Bayern Munich, to meet and greet members of De Rodn Waginga, the local fan club.