A real predator in the penalty area, the late Gerd Müller marked the 1970s in club and selection. He has won many trophies, including three Champions Cups, a UEFA European Championship and a FIFA World Cup, hence the idea of comparing her to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
BUTS
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National selection: Müller 62/68 – 1.10 goals per game Messi 151/76 – 0,50 Ronaldo 179/109 – 0,61
The remarkable longevity of Messi and Ronaldo has seen them rack up an impressive number of goals, but Müller is more than just keeping his place. The Bayern ace found the net more quickly in club and in selection. With 34 goals in 35 European Cup matches, he is almost untouchable. His 365 Bundesliga goals are still a competitive record.
TROPHIES
Major club trophies: Müller 4 Bundesliga (1969, 1972, 1973, 1974), 4 German Cups (1966, 1967, 1969, 1971), 3 Champion Clubs ‘Cups (1974, 1975, 1976), 1 European Cup Winners’ Cup (1967)
Messi 10 Liga (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019), 7 Copa del Rey (2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021), 4 UEFA Champions League (2006 , 2009, 2011, 2015)
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Cristiano Ronaldo in front of his collection of trophiesReal Madrid via Getty Images–
Ronaldo 3 Premier League (2007, 2008, 2009), 2 Liga (2012, 2017), 2 Serie A (2019, 2020), 1 FA Cup (2004), 2 Copa del Rey (2011, 2014), 1 Coppa Italia (2021) ), 5 UEFA Champions League (2008, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Major trophies in selection: Müller 1 World Cup (1974), 1 EURO (1972) Messi 1 America’s Cup (2021) Ronaldo 1 EURO (2016), 1 UEFA Nations League (2019)
As time is running out for Messi and Ronaldo in the World Cup, Müller reached the pinnacle of European and worldfootball with the FRG – and even held both titles at the same time. He did so by leading the dance, scoring twice in the 3-0 defeat to the Soviet Union in the 1972 European Championship final, before scoring the winning goal against the Netherlands in the final. of the World Cup two years later.
European Golden Shoe: Müller 2 (1970, 1972) Messi 6 (2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019) Ronaldo 4 (2008, 2011, 2014, 2015)
Top scorer in the Champions Clubs Cup / UEFA Champions League: Müller 4 (1973, 1974, 1975, 1977) Messi 6 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019) Ronaldo 7 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Top scorer in the national championship: Müller 7 (1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978) Messi 8 (2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) Ronaldo 5 (2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2021)
When it comes to the Ballon d’Or, Messi’s only constant rival is Cristiano Ronaldo (both players finished first and second in the last ten editions, and were second and third behind Kaká in 2007). Besides his victory in 1970, Müller finished in the top three on three other occasions in an era dominated by Johan Cruyff, Gianni Rivera and Franz Beckenbauer.
EXPERT WORDS
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—Watch all of Gerd Müller’s goals at EURO 1972–
Paul Breitner sur Müller He was the greatest genius I have seen in football.
Thomas Müller sur Müller You have to respect all the great scorers, but Gerd still hovers above the others.
Franz Beckenbauer sur Müller Without his goals, FC Bayern would not be what it is today. We would still have a wooden cabin at the training ground.
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—Watch Messi’s 100 European goals–
Josep Guardiola on Messi No one can sit at Messi’s table. He scores 60 or 70 goals per season, always in the big matches; he plays every three days and is never injured. He has full control of his body. He’s the best player I’ve seen.
Andrés Iniesta on Messi What I saw him do I never saw anyone else do and I don’t think I will.
Gerd Müller sur Messi Messi is an incredible player. He’s a giant but such a humble person. He has only one flaw: he does not play for FC Bayern.
Zinédine Zidane on Ronaldo When you play with Ronaldo in your team, you go 1-0 ahead
Eusebio sur Ronaldo He has no doubts that he can do anything with the ball, and that confidence makes him very special.
THE LEGENDS SPEAK FOR ITSELF
Müller sur Müller The surface was my kingdom. I’ve never scored a lot of goals from outside the box.
You have to be able to score blind. It really helps if you can shoot on goal without looking at it.
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—Ronaldo’s 14 goals at EURO–
Messi over Messi I’m having a blast, playing just like I did when I was a kid. My style of play remains the same; I try to have fun every time I step onto the pitch. I know I have my responsibilities and we have goals, but I try to have fun because I am doing something that I love to do.
Ronaldo sur Ronaldo I’m not a perfectionist, but I like to feel like things are done right. More important than that, I feel an endless need to learn, to improve myself, to evolve – not only to please the coach and the fans, but also to feel satisfied with myself.
