When Vancouver Whitecaps take the field on Saturday to face Inter Miami in the MLS Final, this will be more than a fixture between the two most-geographically separated teams in the league (they are over 3,400 miles apart). It will be more than a fight between beaches vs. ski slopes, or cubano sandwiches vs. smoked salmon. It’s also a battle between two legends of the game: Lionel Messi vs Thomas Müller.
These two are not strangers. Over their combined decades of experience they’ve met numerous times, nearly always in big game scenarios. In head-to-head meetings, Müller’s team emerged victorious eight times; Messi’s only three. Make of that statistic what you will.
In any event, here’s a breakdown of all of their meetings, in chronological order starting with club first, then international.
Head to Head: Club Matches
Bayern Munich 4 – 0 Barcelona (April 23, 2013)
En route to their Champions League victory, Bayern tore through a haphazard Barcelona side. Messi was plagued with a muscle injury that would see him miss the next leg, while Müller was simply imperious. He netted twice to open and close the scoring, and contributed an assist.
Bayern Munich 2 – 0 Barcelona (July 24, 2013)
There is something called the Uli Höness Cup, which is a fancy name for a club friendly. The two sides made 21 substitutions over the course of the match, which tells you everything you need to know about this utterly inconsequential tie.
2015 Champions League Semi-final
Barcelona 3 – 0 Bayern Munich (May 6)
Bayern Munich 3 – 2 Barcelona (May 12)
Müller scored in the second leg, but it had as much impact as peeing in the ocean. Bayern’s goose was already cooked and carved thanks to master chef Lionel Messi’s stellar performance in the opening leg, in which he scored twice and assisted the other.
2023 Champions League last-16 Legs
PSG 0 – 1 Bayern Munich (Feb 14)
Bayern Munich 2 – 0 PSG (March 8)
This two-legged set made one thing glaringly obvious: PSG’s triumvirate of Messi, Neymar and Mbappé was not the world-beater combination many thought they would be. In fact, the final fixture would be Messi’s last in European competition. He departed PSG at the end of the season and then arrived in Miami later that summer.
Head to Head: International
Germany 0 – 1 Argentina (March 2010)
This friendly match was the first time Messi and Müller faced off against each other. Messi had already notched some caps, but it was 20 year old Müller’s debut for Die Mannschaft. Argentina’s then-manager Diego Maradona was quoted after the match: “This game had the character of a World Cup quarter-final” which proved prophetic given that the next time they would meet would be…
World Cup 2010 Quarter-final: Germany 4 – 0 Argentina (July)
Amidst the vuvuzela cacophony, Müller scored the opener for Germany after heading in a free kick. Messi had little to no impact at all, as Germany ran rampant for the full 90+ minutes.
Germany 1 – 3 Argentina (August 2012)
Another friendly between the two nations that went Argentina’s way. Germany’s goalkeeper was sent off in the 32nd minute, and Müller exited thereafter as part of a tactical substitution. Fun fact: Marc-André ter Stegen came on to stand between the sticks and blocked Messi’s penalty. He would become Messi’s teammate after joining Barcelona. Messi would score later on in the game.
World Cup 2014 Final: Germany 1 – 0 Argentina (July)
This one went the distance: 120 minutes after extra time. While Argentina were arguably the better and more dangerous side, they couldn’t put the ball into the net. Messi stunned the world by pulling an easy finish wide of the post. After the heartbreak of losing courtesy of Mario Götze’s late score, Messi then had to step up to accept the Golden Ball trophy. Müller played the full game with his usual stoic determination.
