“He may wanna play with Messi”, “Come to Inter Miami” – Fans react as Bayern star sends message to Lionel Messi after 8th Ballon d’Or win
Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller has congratulated Lionel Messi on Twitter for his Ballon d'Or win and fans have given a hilarious response.
Messi picked up his eighth Ballon d'Or on Monday after beating Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe as the Argentine added another feather to his cap.
His latest Golden Ball win comes on the back of his epic FIFA World Cup triumph with Argentina last year as Messi captained his side to their third trophy in history.
He struck seven times, including twice in the finals against France, and registered another four assists, as the 36-year-old emulated Diego Maradona's World Cup feat with the national team.
After Messi was officially declared as the Ballon d'Or winner on Monday night, tributes poured in for the former Barcelona ace from all around the world. Muller jumped on the wagon to congratulate the Inter Miami star too.
He wrote on Twitter:
"Congratulations, Lionel @TeamMessi🏆"
Muller and Messi have locked horns several times on the pitch over the years for club and country, most notably in the 2014 World Cup final as Germany beat Argentina.
Nonetheless, there's no love lost between the rivals, and fans hailed Muller for his class. One of them even asked him to join La Pulga at Inter Miami, while another one speculated that Muller secretly wants to play with Messi, despite his desire to retire at Bayern.
Here are some of the best reactions to Muller congratulating Messi:
Without Messi and Ronaldo, Muller could've won the Ballon d'Or too
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the Ballon d'Or rankings in the last 16 years, winning 13 among them.
During this run, many great players were overlooked, including Thomas Muller, a Bayern Munich legend.
The German midfielder has won almost every possible trophy in his stellar career for club and country, including the Champions League and the FIFA World Cup. He's also among the few players to have won the European treble twice in his career.
Unfortunately, his best years were eclipsed by Messi and Ronaldo, who just produced better numbers than him. If it weren't for those players, Muller would've surely got his hands on the Ballon d'Or at least once.