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Bayern Munich veteran Thomas Muller has had his say in the longstanding debate over the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi rivalry, picking the Manchester United striker over the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward.
The iconic duo's brilliance has seen many clash over which among the two is the best to have graced the game.
Muller's Bayern side will come up against Messi's former side Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on September 14.
The German has fueled the flames for what promises to be an intriguing encounter by picking his longtime rival ahead of the Barca legend.
Muller told ESPN:
"I go for Ronaldo, against Messi I have good statistics, against Ronaldo; not that good."
The Bayern attacker is hinting at the 8-2 demolition of Barca that the Bavarians managed back in the 2020 Champions League campaign.
Lionel Messi was part of the side that got destroyed with Muller grabbing a double on the night.
The Argentine has since moved to PSG and is now back to his usual best after an underwhelming first season in the French capital.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has made nine appearances this term, scoring four goals and contributing seven assists.
He was a shock omission from the nominees for this season's Ballon d'Or but his rival made the list.
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the most nominations at 18 and is in the running to win his sixth.
The Portuguese was at his very best when Muller's Bayern clashed with the United forward's former side Real Madrid back in 2017.
Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
However, it has not been so rosey at the start of the new season at Old Trafford.
The veteran striker is still without a goal contribution in his first seven appearances of the campaign.
"A very interesting combination" - Muller would have liked to see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo play together
Muller was hoping to see the iconic forwards play together when there were rumors that Kylian Mbappe might depart PSG this past summer.
He said (via Goal):
"If Kylian Mbappe is still going [from PSG], then I would have liked to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi play together."
He added:
"That would have been a very interesting combination, especially for me as a fan of the sport. You need players who are good on the ball and who are well off the ball."
"Cristiano has become a very strong final player. He doesn't need the ball that deep anymore. Messi and Neymar could have walked through midfield. That would have been interesting."
