Lionel Messi vs. Thomas Müller: Greatest Clashes Before 2025 MLS Cup Final—Ranked
In one of Thomas Müller’s first interviews after signing with Vancouver Whitecaps FC, he turned directly to the camera. He said, “I will hunt you again” in reference to Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi.
The two legends will clash in a winner-take-all MLS Cup final on Dec. 6 at Chase Stadium in Miami. The victor will become the first player in history to have won both the FIFA World Cup and MLS Cup.
It’s the 11th meeting between Müller and Messi and the ninth in a competitive match. Müller comes in with the historical advantage, having won seven of eight competitive games, while Messi has won both friendlies.
Where could the 2025 MLS Cup stack in all-time Muller vs. Messi battles?
Here, Sports Illustrated ranks all of their previous clashes.
Lionel Messi vs. Thomas Müller All-Time Stats
Stat (10 Previous Matches) | Lionel Messi | Thomas Müller |
|---|---|---|
Wins | 3 | 7 |
Goals | 3 | 6 |
Minutes | 930 | 741 |
7. Messi Sweeps International Friendlies
- 2010: Germany 0–1 Argentina
- 2012: Germany 1–3 Argentina
While Müller may have taken seven of the eight competitive games the two have played, Messi reigns dominant in friendly matches, both of which came between Argentina and Germany.
The first ever clash between the two saw Messi’s Argentina prevail with a 1–0 win in March of 2010, with the goal scored by former Inter Miami striker, Gonzalo Higuaín, who was Miami’s all-time leading scorer before Messi rewrote history.
Argentina and Germany met again in an international friendly in 2012, with Messi scoring in a 3–1 win, while Müller played just 32 minutes.
6. 2022–23 UEFA Champions League Round of 16
- FC Bayern Munich 3–0 FC Barcelona (Agg.)
Messi’s time at PSG was supposed to see him claim another UEFA Champions League title, but it never came to fruition. He clashed with Müller’s Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 two years ago and while the German failed to score, the Bundesliga side swiftly eliminated PSG 3–0 on aggregate.
Bayern would go on to fall 4–1 on aggregate to Manchester City in the quarterfinals.
5. 2012–13 UEFA Champions League Semifinal
- FC Bayern Munich 7–0 FC Barcelona (Agg.)
Müller scored three times over two legs in the 2012–13 Champions League quarterfinals as Bayern went through their golden era of the early 2010s, a year after falling to Didier Drogba’s Chelsea FC in the 2012 Champions League final.
While Messi didn’t play in the second leg, he was on the pitch for Barcelona in the first leg, when Bayern posted a 4–0 victory on their home pitch. After eliminating Barcelona, Bayern went on to defeat Der Klassiker rivals, Borussia Dortmund, in an all-German UEFA Champions League final.
4. 2010 FIFA World Cup Quarterfinal
- Argentina 0–4 Germany
The 2010 World Cup was a memorable tournament for Müller as he claimed the Golden Boot with five goals in six games, including one in a 4–0 quarterfinal thrashing of Messi’s Argentina.
Pitting a 20-year-old Müller against a 23-year-old Messi marked the first competitive game the two played against one another after an initial friendly had seen Argentina come out victorious.
Unfortunately for Müller, the semifinal didn’t go to plan, as Germany fell to 1–0 to Spain, who then went on to defeat the Netherlands and Müller’s longtime teammate, Arjen Robben, in the final. Müller, however, would score in a 3–2 win over Luis Suárez-led Uruguay in the third-place match.
3. 2019–20 UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal
- FC Bayern Munich 8–2 FC Barcelona
The most significant margin of victory in the rivalry sits in Müller’s favor, when he scored a brace as Bayern Munich thrashed FC Barcelona 8–2 in the most humiliating loss of Messi’s career.
The match was played in Lisbon, Portugal, due to COVID-19, and there were no fans. It was also a single-knockout game, unlike traditional two-legged Champions League quarterfinals.
While Müller helped lead the Whitecaps, it was a breakout for Vancouver academy product, Alphonso Davies, who had an assist in the match. Little did Müller know he’d be heading to Davies’s boyhood club just a few years later.
Bayern went on to win the 2020 Champions League final, narrowly defeating Paris Saint-Germain.
2. 2014–15 UEFA Champions League Semifinal
- FC Barcelona 5–3 FC Bayern Munich (Agg.)
Messi’s road to his fourth and final UEFA Champions League title came through Bayern Munich as FC Barcelona picked up a 5–3 aggregate win in the semifinals, after a dominant 3–0 showing in the opening leg at the Camp Nou.
The first leg saw Messi score a brace and provide an assist to Neymar, while the second game saw current Inter Miami striker Luis Suárez put up two assists as Neymar scored twice, with Müller hitting the scoresheet for Bayern.
The first-leg win was one of just three times that Messi has prevailed against a Müller-led team, and the victory powered Barcelona on to the final, where they defeated Juventus, with current Miami stars Messi, Suárez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets all in the lineup.
1. 2014 FIFA World Cup Final
- Germany 1–0 Argentina (aet)
The highest-profile matchup Müller and Messi have ever faced was in the 2014 World Cup final, when Müller provided the assist for Mario Götze’s winning goal in extra time, securing Germany’s World Cup victory over Argentina.
Prior to the 2025 MLS Cup, the 2014 final was the only time Müller and Messi had met with a trophy directly on the line. Both attackers played the full 120 minutes that day as well.
At the time, Messi had never won a major international trophy. Two years later, he would go on to lose the Copa América Centenario and temporarily retire from international soccer. Fortunately for him, he soon returned to Argentina’s national team and went on to win the 2022 World Cup and two Copa Américas.
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