Müller‘s Dominance: A Look at Thomas Müller’s Head-to-Head Record Against Lionel Messi
On Saturday (8:30 p.m.), the MLS playoff final will pit two footballing legends, Thomas Müller and Lionel Messi, against each other. A review of their competitive history reveals a surprisingly lopsided record in favor of the German veteran.
Over the past 15 years,Müller and Messi have faced off in eight competitive matches – twice on the international stage at the World Cup and six times at the club level.
Müller will particularly recall their World Cup encounters. The 2010 World Cup quarter-final is widely considered a standout performance for the German national team, culminating in a dominant 4-0 victory. Müller opened the scoring, heading in a goal just three minutes into the match.
their second World Cup clash came in the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil, a 1-0 win for Germany. While Müller didn’t find the back of the net in that game, it remains a career highlight, with Messi playing the full 90 minutes.
A single Messi Victory Against Müller’s Bayern
At the club level,Messi has consistently struggled against Müller and his teams.
During Messi’s time at FC Barcelona, he experienced several defeats against Bayern Munich in Champions League semi-final duels, notably in spring 2013. Barcelona fell 4-0 and 3-0 in the two legs, with Müller contributing three goals across both matches while Messi was unable to score.
The 8-2 thrashing of Barcelona by Bayern in the Champions League final tournament in August 2020 is another memorable encounter. Müller scored twice in that match,while Messi had no direct impact on the scoreline.
Their most recent meeting occurred roughly two and a half years ago, when Messi was playing for Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern defeated PSG 1-0 and 2-0 in the Champions League Round of 16, continuing Müller’s winning streak against the 2022 World Champion.
Notably, Messi’s only competitive win against Thomas Müller came on May 6, 2015, when FC Barcelona defeated Bayern Munich 3-0 in the Champions League semi-finals, with Messi scoring two of the goals. Barcelona would go on to win the Champions League title that season.
Ahead of the weekend’s final, Müller expressed his excitement about facing “the greatest player who has ever played,” admitting, “I was hoping for this final.”
