Thomas Muller: 'When I was younger, I preferred Ronaldo, but as I aged, I grew to favor Messi'

The German superstar Thomas Muller recently spoke out about the “GOAT” debate, discussing who is the greatest player of all time between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Muller revealed that early in his career, he tended to support Cristiano Ronaldo because of the Portuguese star’s impressive scoring form and durability. However, over time, Muller became captivated by Messi’s elegance, creativity, and artistic style of play.

“During the first 10 years of my career, if I had to choose, I leaned towards Cristiano. But now, being older and having a more ‘romantic’ view of football, I pick Messi. He plays with grace and finesse. And then Messi won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, which made me even more inclined to favor him,” Muller shared.

Throughout their careers, Muller and Messi have faced each other multiple times at both club and international levels, creating many dramatic moments. In 10 encounters between Bayern Munich and Barcelona alone, Muller scored 8 goals, assisted twice, and won 7 matches, while Messi’s Barcelona only won 3 times.

Notably, Muller twice caused heartbreak for Messi at the World Cup. In the 2010 quarterfinals, Germany demolished Argentina 4-0. Then in the 2014 World Cup final, Muller played a key role in Germany’s 1-0 victory over Argentina, securing the title and preventing Messi from winning his first World Cup trophy.

Even after Messi moved to PSG, Muller and Bayern continued to dominate with two consecutive wins in the 2023 Champions League Round of 16, knocking the French team out of the competition.

Despite the head-to-head stats favoring Muller and Bayern, the German player openly admires Messi. He admits that Messi’s creative, inspiring, and peak-level playing style changed his perspective:

“Both Cristiano and Messi are great, but Messi brings elegance, beauty, and artistry to football. For me, Messi is the greatest player this sport has ever seen.”