Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has been awarded the Bavarian Order of Merit, an accolade which he has described as "a huge honour".
Born in Weilheim in the south of the state, Muller joined Bayern's youth ranks in 2000 and has since won the Bundesliga eight times with the Bavarian giants. He has also won the Champions League and assorted domestic silverware, while he won the World Cup with Germany in 2014 having scored five goals at the tournament.
Muller was given the award by Minister President Markus Soder, who told him: "You are not only a great footballer, but also a guy you sometimes miss very much.