Thomas Muller has aimed a Champions League dig at Lionel Messi, saying things “always go well” for Bayern Munich against the Argentine icon.
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WHAT HAPPENED? That has proved to be the case once again in 2022-23, with Paris Saint-Germain suffering a 3-0 aggregate defeat to the Bundesliga title holders in the round of 16. Messi was unable to make a decisive contribution during a must-win second leg outing for PSG at the Allianz Arena, as Bayern eased to a 2-0 win, and has now suffered five knockout stage defeats against the German giants – including a famous 8-2 mauling when on the books at Barcelona in 2020.
WHAT THEY SAID: Muller told reporters after helping Bayern to book their place in the quarter-finals: “Against Messi, things always go well at all levels in terms of results. At club level, Cristiano Ronaldo was our problem when he was at Real Madrid. But I have the greatest respect for Messi’s World Cup performance. Messi’s individual performance at the World Cup was amazing. He carried the whole squad. It’s not so easy to play at a team like PSG. It’s difficult to get a really good team balance.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Messi did win his first meeting with Bayern 4-0 back in April 2009, but he has found the going tough since then and also suffered a 7-0 aggregate defeat against the Bavarian heavyweights in the semi-finals of the 2012-13 Champions League.
WHAT NEXT? Questions continue to be basked of how long Messi will be sticking around at PSG, and whether he has another European campaign with them left in him, with the 35-year-old’s contract at Parc des Princes due to expire in the summer.
Source: Goal
