"Against Messi, things always go well", "Cristiano Ronaldo was our problem" - 2-time UCL winner once made bold claim on Ronaldo and Messi
Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller once stated that things always went well for him while competing against Lionel Messi at all levels when it came to results.
The German had made the claim after Bayern Munich defeated Paris Saint-Germain by a 3-0 aggregate in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League in 2023. He said (via GOAL):
"Against Messi, things always go well at all levels in terms of results. At club level, Cristiano Ronaldo was our problem when he was at Real Madrid."
Muller, however, praised Messi's performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which Argentina won after defeating France on penalties.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was against his PSG teammate and France talisman Kylian Mbappe. Despite scoring a hat-trick, the Frenchman couldn't add a second World Cup trophy to his list of silverware.
Hailing Messi's individual performance at the World Cup, Muller said:
"But I have the greatest respect for Messi's World Cup performance. Messi’s individual performance at the World Cup was amazing. He carried the whole squad. It’s not so easy to play at a team like PSG. It’s difficult to get a really good team balance."
Mbappe bagged the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup, scoring eight goals while the Argentine was a close second with seven goals to his name.
Messi has scored 4 goals in 8 meetings against Bayern in UCL
While the Argentinian has had a prolific career, he has failed to claim bragging rights against the Bavarian heavyweights.
Messi has scored four goals in eight meetings against Bayern in the Champions League. He won his first clash against Munich in 2009, netting two goals. However, Messi has found himself in turbulent waters against them ever since, including suffering a 7-0 aggregate defeat and a 2-8 mauling at the hands of the German side.
The Inter Miami forward last scored against Bayern in the UCL in the 2014-15 campaign, which Barcelona ultimately went on to win. He scored twice in the first leg of the semi-final against Bayern but has failed to find the back of the net after that.
Incidentally, Messi last won the Champions League in 2014-15 with Barcelona. His stint with PSG was more or less bittersweet. He played 14 Champions League games and managed nine goals but the coveted trophy continued to elude the World Cup winner.
So far, for Inter Miami CF, Messi has played 22 games, scored 18 goals and assisted nine others. He helped the Herons win their first trophy in North America as Miami beat Nashville on penalties (10-9) after the 2023 Leagues Cup final ended 1-1 in 90 minutes.