Thomas Muller matches Cristiano Ronaldo's streak after scoring in win over Shakhtar Donetsk; still behind Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema
Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has matched Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring in 16 Champions League seasons. The veteran German reached the milestone after scoring in the Bundesliga giants' 5-1 thrashing of Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, December 10.
Vincent Kompany's side secured a resounding away victory over the Ukrainian side. The hosts took the lead after five minutes through Brazilian winger Kevin. However, Bayern responded six minutes later as Konard Laimer equalized. Muller scored in the 45th minute, giving the Bavarians the lead just before half-time.
Micheal Olise scored a second-half brace (70', 90+3'), and Jamal Musiala added another goal (87') to seal a fourth Champions League win of the season for Bayern Munich. Muller notably achieved two milestones in the game.
The 35-year-old scored his 55th Champions League goal in his 156th appearance. Additionally, he became the only third player to score in 16 seasons of Europe's premier club competition, matching the record of Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs. Only two players have scored in more seasons - Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema - who scored in 18 separate seasons.
Thomas Muller has proven himself a loyal and reliable player at Bayern Munich, making 727 appearances for the German giants. He is the oldest serving member at the Allianz Arena and has recorded 246 goals and 271 assists for Bayern.
He has played a peripheral role in Kompany's setup, contributing four goals and three assists in 20 games across competitions this season. Muller's contract with Bayern does not expire until June 2025. Thus, he could likely extend his Champions League goalscoring record by another season.
Muller is seventh on the Champions League all-time scorers list, one goal shy of Ruud van Nistelrooy in the sixth position. However, he is miles away from Cristiano Ronaldo who leads the chart with 140 goals in 183 games.
When Thomas Muller chose Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate
Thomas Muller once made his pick in the never-ending Greatest of All Time (GOAT) debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He opted for the Portuguese legend over his Argentine rival, saying in a 2022 interview with ESPN:
"Messi or Ronaldo? I’ll go for Ronaldo. Against Messi, I have a good statistic, against Ronaldo not that good.
However, in another interview in 2023 with DAZN, the 2014 World Cup winner changed his stance, declaring Messi the best of all time. He said (via GOAL):
"The GOAT for me is Messi because he makes people say, 'I go to the stadium because of his elegance,' and at the same time, he is very effective in scoring goals and achieving records and titles. Cristiano is also a strong candidate in two categories which are stats and titles, but Messi is simply more subtle and elegant."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will go down as two of the greatest to grace the game. The Al-Nassr superstar has won five Ballons d'Or while the Inter Miami ace has eight.