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Bayern Munich superstar Thomas Muller has taken a sly dig at Lionel Messi after eliminating Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) from the Champions League, claiming that handling Cristiano Ronaldo was more complicated.
PSG endured a 2-0 defeat in the second leg of their Champions League Round-of-16 clash with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night (8 March). The Parisians, who lost 1-0 in the first leg at the Parc des Princes Stadium, crashed out of the competition with a disappointing 3-0 aggregate defeat.
Lionel Messi cut a frustrating figure in both matches against the Bavarians. Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann neutralized Messi perfectly, ensuring the PSG man did not get the chance to slide behind the defense or link up regularly with teammates.
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After the game, Muller mocked Lionel Messi’s ineffectiveness, claiming that Cristiano Ronaldo gave Bayern Munich a much harder time during his time with Real Madrid.
The German legend said (via Kicker journalist Georg Holzner):
“When it comes to results, we always do well against Lionel Messi - at all levels. At club level, it was always Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid who was a problem for us.”
Lionel Messi has a rather poor record against the German giants in the UEFA Champions League. The PSG No. 30 has faced Bayern eight times in the competition, winning twice and losing on five occasions.
Lionel Messi has thus far scored four times against the six-time European champions. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner was present when Bayern inflicted a historic 8-2 defeat upon Barcelona in the 2019-20 Champions League quarter-finals.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, has caused Bayern Munich torment quite a few times. In eight matches against them, he has scored nine goals, propelling his team to five wins.
The Portuguese superstar scored all five of Real Madrid’s goals, including a hat-trick, in the 5-4 aggregate win in the 2016-17 Champions League quarter-finals. He has only lost twice against Bayern.
Cristiano Ronaldo could have helped Manchester United avoid Liverpool embarrassment, claims Louis Saha
Louis Saha, who played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, has speculated that the Red Devils probably wouldn’t have tasted a 7-0 defeat to Liverpool in Ronaldo’s presence.
Erik ten Hag’s side fell to a humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday (5 March). It was their worst-ever defeat to the Merseysiders and their heaviest in 92 years.
Speaking in an interview, Saha stated that Cristiano Ronaldo could have made Ten Hag’s team even better and possibly would’ve helped them avoid the Anfield embarrassment. He told Compare.bet:
“Ronaldo’s departure marked a fresh start for United, and it gave Ten Hag a blank page to draw upon, which has allowed him to establish a winning mentality at the club.
“Now that the club’s mindset has improved, I think they’d be doing even better if they had Cristiano up top.”
He concluded by saying:
“Of course, it’s hard to know for sure, but when I see United losing 7-0 to Liverpool, I can only think that Cristiano could have helped.”
Cristiano Ronaldo parted ways with Manchester United in November by mutual consent. The move came after Ronaldo’s explosive interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, where he criticized Ten Hag, the club’s owners and some former players.
