Thomas Muller doubles down on Lionel Messi as the greatest of all time over Cristiano Ronaldo

The debate over who stands as soccer’s greatest of all time has followed Thomas Muller into the latter stages of his own career, and the Germany legend once again made clear where he lands between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Messi or Cristiano? I’ve been asked this question so many times, way too many times,” Muller said in a recent appearance as a guest on Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson’s podcast, The Late Run Show. “I think for the first ten years of my career, I was with Cristiano. But when I look at the whole picture, Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer, even though he’s now become a huge winner after what he achieved in 2022, what he did in the World Cup, and what he’s doing now too“.

Muller went on to explain that his admiration for Messi goes beyond trophies and numbers. “But even before that, I think the joy of watching him play football, and it’s not just a show, nor something that lasts for one year and then ends. It’s lasted, I don’t know, nearly two decades; numbers, joy, and that’s why I say, Lionel Messi is the greatest,” he added.

It’s not the first time Muller has walked back his earlier stance on Ronaldo. The German previously admitted that for the first decade of his career, he would have sided with the Portuguese star in the GOAT conversation, but that over time his pick shifted toward the Argentine after being won over by the class of his style of play.

The numbers behind Muller’s rivalry with Messi

Muller’s history against Messi’s Barcelona is nothing short of outstanding. The German forward tallied eight goals and contributed two assists in 10 clashes with the Spanish powerhouse, winning seven of those meetings to just three for Messi. He also faced Messi twice more during the Argentine’s stint at PSG, picking up back-to-back wins in the round of 16 of the 2023 Champions League.

On the international stage, Muller twice shattered Messi’s World Cup ambitions. The first blow came in the 2010 quarterfinals, when Germany dismantled Argentina 4-0. Four years later, on Brazilian soil, Muller played an influential role in the 2014 World Cup final as Germany edged Argentina 1-0, denying Messi what could have been his maiden world title.

A different story against Ronaldo

Muller’s numbers tell a different story when it comes to Ronaldo. The two faced off eight times in the Champions League between 2012 and 2018, during Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid knockout clashes, with Ronaldo scoring nine goals across those meetings to Muller’s zero.

Real Madrid eliminated Bayern in three of their four ties during that stretch — in the 2014 and 2017 quarterfinals and the 2018 semifinals — with Bayern’s lone win coming via penalties back in 2012.