Messi breaks Mullers record of 85 goals in a year.

Cantona's Collars

Messi scored 2 goals in the first 25 minutes against Betis to take his tally to 86 goals in a year,one more than Gerd Muller's record of 85 set in 1972.

Paul Tergat

Best ever

Bodhisopha

It's worthy of comment but what more can you say?

rednik

Pure class, bring on 90.

Lando Griffin

The man is a genius on the field and we are privilaged to watch him him play in the spirit he does week in week out.

The_Kew_Tour

Credit where credit is due that is something else.

One of greatest players to have ever played.

5starpool

Article from the Guardian about Muller for those that might be less than familiar with him.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/dec/08/gerd-muller-lionel-messi

Bayern Munich's old Grünwalder Strasse ground. A cross loops in from the right. Standing in the penalty area, the home side's No9 meets the ball as it drops, planting a header into the right-hand corner. A decent finish, although by itself the goal is hardly worthy of comment, certainly not the kind of strike worth rooting around on YouTube for, more than four decades after it was scored.

But let the clip run on. Seconds later, that cross is looping in again. It's got to be an action replay: the ball's sailing at the same speed along the same parabola, and the striker is standing in the same position. Except no, it's not an action replay. The striker meets the ball with his head again, but this time he sticks it away bottom left. Each time the keeper goes after the ball; each time he's got no earthly hope of reaching it. In eight seconds of footage, the genius of Gerd Müller – if not statistically the greatest goalscorer of all time, then the player who distilled the art of striking into a pure tincture – is perfectly illustrated. Unspectacular, unpredictable and utterly unstoppable.

Müller's nickname was Kleines dickes Müller – short, fat Müller – although he was neither, a man of average height and average build. He was also known as der Bomber, but that was something of a misnomer too, as his finishes were rarely explosive: most of his goals were trundled in from close range, pea-rollers sent towards the far corners, finishes that seemed signally unimpressive, until you realised he was doing this every single week, season after season, and he wasn't just some scruffy hack enjoying an abnormal run of luck.

"He didn't score many beauties," says Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger, author of the highly entertaining history of German football Tor! "But he just put them away. You wouldn't notice him, and then he'd pop up and score a goal. It wasn't like people didn't know who he was – he was doing this in one of the best leagues in the world, and playing for one of the top international teams – but they could find no way of stopping him."

Müller is back in the news, 31 years after his retirement, because his long-standing record of 85 goals in a calendar year, a mark reached in 1972, is on the brink of being obliterated. Last Wednesday against Benfica in the Champions League, Barcelona's force of nature Lionel Messi romped into the penalty area in search of his 85th goal of 2012, but went down clutching his knee instead. He was carried off, but with what proved to be a minor tweak, so goals 85 and 86 still seem inevitable for a player who cannot stop scoring: if Messi does not make Barça's starting XI at Real Betis on Sunday (he's rated at 50-50 to play) he has got two further league matches in December (against Atlético Madrid and Valladolid) and a two-legged Copa del Rey tie against second-tier Cordoba to consign to history Müller's record.

Yet Müller's feats of 1972 are unlikely to be forgotten quickly. Comparisons are odious – this pair deserve more respect than another reductive who's-best back-and-forth – but the German's stats bear repeating. Messi has played 66 games this year to reach his 84-goal mark. Müller required a mere 60 for his 85.

The year 1972 started for Müller in late January – a point by which, 40 years later, Messi had already enjoyed five outings and notched four times – with the only goal for Bayern at Fortuna Düsseldorf.

That goal was the first of 42 in the Bundesliga during 1972. Each and every one had a huge effect on Bayern's roll of honour: the club won the title in 1971-72 and retained it with ease the following season, the latter championship the foundation for Bayern's hat-trick of European Cups between 1974 and 1976. "Everything Bayern have become is due to Müller," says Franz Beckenbauer, who spent a decade sauntering upfield to exchange one-twos with the man.

Müller's brilliant year continued apace. He scored seven goals in the German Cup, and another 12 in the German League Cup. He was as deadly on the continent for Bayern as he was at home: he scored one in the quarter-final of the 1972 European Cup-Winners Cup against Steaua Bucharest, then went to town in the early rounds of the 72-73 European Cup, with three against Galatasaray and another seven in a tie against Omonia Nicosia of Cyprus.

These are hardly garden-variety rates of scoring – Müller's 40 league goals in 1971-72 still stand as a Bundesliga record – but it would be his acts on the international stage that sent the year stratospheric.

Müller scored 13 times in five appearances for West Germany, at one point scoring eight of his country's goals in a row, a record at the time. He almost single-handedly won Euro 72, dragging England's old warhorse Bobby Moore all around Wembley and halfway to the knacker's yard with his incessant movement in the quarters – he also found the net, naturally – then scoring two apiece in the semi-final and final against Belgium and the USSR. In addition, he helped himself to four goals in 16 minutes in a friendly against the USSR, and another four against Switzerland. Germany's 1972 vintage is considered the greatest, and Müller was its driving force.

Eighty-five goals, 60 games, one Bundesliga, one European Championship; this is not normal behaviour. And yet one can still legitimately question whether Müller's annus mirabilis is as notable as all that. When he scored his final goals of 1972 in Bayern's last match of the year – a hat-trick in a cup game against lower-league Barmbek-Uhlenhorst – not a word was mentioned in the German media, or anywhere else. The concept of goals by calendar year simply had no currency.

A devalued Deutsch mark, too, because Müller's figures were skewed by those 12 German League Cup goals. That tournament was a confection spun out of thin air by the DFB, a fundraiser for clubs bereft of fixtures while the German season paused for the Munich Olympics. "Without that cup, 1972 was par for the course for Müller," says Hesse-Lichtenberger, though that observation is designed as a compliment. Müller's staggering career stats back it up: 401 goals in 459 league matches, 35 goals in 35 European Cup ties, 68 goals for his country and 62 caps. A sensation, and relentless with it.

That other phenomenon, Messi, may find himself past Müller's total on Sunday, a jaw-dropping achievement in an era where defences are supposedly more sophisticated. Yet he will end 2012 with nothing more than a Spanish Cup gong to show for it. Slim pickings compared to the short, fat one.

But whether Messi makes it or not, neither man's legacy should be affected too much. For all Messi's ludicrous scoring rates, his game is less about how many, more about how pretty, aesthetics trumping raw data. The less flamboyant Müller, who was happy to shin it in, will always be about the hard stats. Still, there is always an exception that proves the rule. Müller's four goals against the Swiss in 1972 were part of a 5-1 win. Günter Netzer got the other. He was set up by an exquisite backheel from Müller. Positively Messi-esque.

Tom_Cruise

Do you think he would score as many goals if he played in the PL?

missingtime

Messi is a thirty-goal-a-season man. That season being autumn. -- Football Clichés (@FootballCliches)

Cantona's Collars

@ Tom Cruise,

Did you enjoy the United game today?

Bodhisopha

Tom_Cruise wrote: »

Do you think he would score as many goals if he played in the PL?

If he was playing for Barcelona in the PL it's possible. If he was playing for a lesser side, probably not, but he'd still be head and shoulders above anyone else.

Tom_Cruise

zerks wrote: »

@ Tom Cruise,

Did you enjoy the United game today?

It was my first game in England and i really enjoyed it.

Hopefully i will get a chance to see another one very soon.

Turtyturd

Tom_Cruise wrote: »

Do you think he would score as many goals if he played in the PL?

Nearly 10 minutes and nobody has replied with that stupid Stoke cliche.

RayCon

Considering Muller set that record in the year I was born , Messi really is a once in a lifetime player. Outstanding.

klose

Tom_Cruise wrote: »

Do you think he would score as many goals if he played in the PL?

Who cares? The premier league, contradictory to popular belief isint currently the best league around, id rate spain and germany higher. Much higher. The champions league so far has shown this and i dont fancy either of the 2 remaining english teams in it either.


Messi would have a field day in any league, be it la liga,premiership or the bloody k league.

Guy:Incognito

Was going to ask how many games Muller had taken compared to Messi's 67, but the answer is in the article above "Müller required a mere 60 for his 85" . Impressive.

adox

Undoubtedly the second best Argentinian to ever play the game. :pac:

MagicMarker

Yeah but how many Premier Leagues has he won? That's right, fúck all.

Max Power

Pffttt that's nothing, Van Persie scored 143 last season.

On Fifa12

Kylo Ren

How many has our Ronaldo?

Tom_Cruise

whippedcream wrote: »

Who cares? The premier league, contradictory to popular belief isint currently the best league around, id rate spain and germany higher. Much higher. The champions league so far has shown this and i dont fancy either of the 2 remaining english teams in it either.


Messi would have a field day in any league, be it la liga,premiership or the bloody k league.

I only asked a question, i didnt say the PL was the best in the world, i was only interested in people opinions thats all.

Nuri Sahin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY6m8sOjenU

Reekwind

Tom_Cruise wrote: »

Do you think he would score as many goals if he played in the PL?

Given the current state of defending in English football, he'd be on triple digits by now. Even with not being able to produce it against Stoke

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

After he scored number 86 he pointed to Iniesta straight away to give him the credit for the goal (as he assisted it). People can bring up YouTube videos of him doing petty things, but these are exceptions to his character, as he truly is a admirable person on top of being an exquisite footballer. Delighted for him.

Talib Fiasco

Best ever...didn't even need to break the record to prove that for me but it still might convince others. Can't wait for Pele's ridiculous comment fueled with a sprinkle of Neymar.

Messi Messi Messi Messi

Mr.Nice Guy

Happy to see him get it. Best player I've seen in my time following this sport.

I wonder if he could possibly break the 100 mark one of these years?

764dak

TheComeUp wrote: »

Best ever...didn't even need to break the record to prove that for me but it still might convince others. Can't wait for Pele's ridiculous comment fueled with a sprinkle of Neymar.

Messi Messi Messi Messi

Didn't Ronaldinho say Neymar would surpass Messi and Ronaldo?

SantryRed

4 games left including 2 against Lower League opposition. Could still hit 100 :pac:

Skylinehead

Nuri Sahin wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY6m8sOjenU

He should have waited until 2012 finishes, and Messi scores more goals :pac:

daithijjj

Gerd Müller scored 85 goals in 6 less games than Messi. The same year he helped Germany to win the Euros, in a time when goalkeepers could pick up backpasses for unlimited time during a game. Just saying.

Football is going that way, a 3 game a week future. There will be less able player than Messi in the future to score more goals, thats how things work as the game evolves. Messi is the hear and now, for me, he is no Maradona.

BetterCallSaul

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Was going to ask how many games Muller had taken compared to Messi's 67, but the answer is in the article above "Müller required a mere 60 for his 85" . Impressive.

The breakdown is interesting though.

You could argue that his 56 in the league is more impressive than Muller's 42 considering this:

But it is not as straightforward as suggesting that the number of appearances alone prove Müller’s achievement was the more impressive. That is particularly true because 12 of Müller’s goals in 1972 came in an obscure and short-lived competition, the D.F.B.-Ligapokal — or German League Cup.

With the Olympic Games in Munich that year, the start of the 1972-73 Bundesliga season was delayed until mid-September, so the league cup was created to fill the gap and provide teams with competitive matches to help generate income.

Bayern Munich did not initially take the competition seriously, sending out a weaker team in its opening match, with most of the team’s superstars — Müller included — absent. This enraged a crowd of 10,000, who had paid to watch Bayern’s celebrated first-team players. A photographer even filed a fraud lawsuit against the club.

So for the rest of the inaugural competition Bayern picked its star players and Müller scored 12 goals in five games, including four goals against the second-division regional league team, Hof. (The D.F.B.-Ligapokal was scrapped after the first year and not reintroduced until 1997, when it was played as a preseason competition before being abolished again in 2007.)

Oat23

BetterCallSaul

Oatesy23 wrote: »

Find the difference or find the mistake?

Muller's record was 1972, not 1974, when there was no World Cup and Ajax won the Champions league.

SantryRed

Oatesy23 wrote: »

Messi is holding a ball but Muller isn't.

Do I win?

Oat23

BetterCallSaul wrote: »

Find the difference or find the mistake?

Muller's record was 1972, not 1974, when there was no World Cup and Ajax won the Champions league.

Just saw Anthony Ujah tweet it and thought it was easier to post at 1am than explain why I think Müller's is more impressive

Plus Müller used to get tackled, La Liga defenders are too scared to leave their feet against Messi.

dfx-

daithijjj wrote: »

Football is going that way, a 3 game a week future. There will be less able player than Messi in the future to score more goals, thats how things work as the game evolves. Messi is the hear and now, for me, he is no Maradona.

And yet Messi who plays in pretty much every game, only just managed to beat it in his prime in the last couple of weeks.

BetterCallSaul

Oatesy23 wrote: »

Just saw Anthony Ujah tweet it and thought it was easier to post at 1am than explain why I think Müller's is more impressive

Plus Müller used to get tackled, La Liga defenders are too scared to leave their feet against Messi.

Out of curiosity, did Muller not actually take penalties? Or is that wrong?

daithijjj

BetterCallSaul wrote: »

Out of curiosity, did Muller not actually take penalties? Or is that wrong?

Might be wrong but i remember reading that Muller missed 1 or 2 pens for Bayern and never took them again. I have nothing to back that up, its just from memory. How many of Messi's are pens? a dozen?

Oat23

BetterCallSaul wrote: »

Out of curiosity, did Muller not actually take penalties? Or is that wrong?

I always thought that Breitner took Bayern penalties but that could be wrong. Maybe he did take them or they were shared out.

clappyhappy

Its great to watch a player of his calibre to achieve this milestone. I hope he scores another 5/8 goals before the end of the year. A pleasure and an honor to watch him.

Gbear

I would also venture that if it were other players scoring them, about 15-20 would be goal of the season candidates.

Even tonight, his finishes were excellent.

I think we're just desensitised to his dropping the shoulder 3 times and beating three players before smashing it home because he does it so often.

GavRedKing

Still hasnt scored against Chelsea. :rolleyes: :pac:

The little guy is magic, theres very little he cant do and its been a pleasure wtching him these past few years.

tdv123

Oatesy23 wrote: »

Muller doesn't have the stamina to play as many games as Messi does in a year?

Oat23

tdv123 wrote: »

Muller doesn't have the stamina to play as many games as Messi does in a year?

I don't know any people his age that do! :pac:

764dak

Tom_Cruise wrote: »

Do you think he would score as many goals if he played in the PL?

If he played for Stoke he wouldn't make it to 15 or 20.

Professional Griefer

Watch him go and beat it again next year.

Amazing ability.

quarryman

How many of Messi's tally were penalties though?

GavRedKing

quarryman wrote: »

How many of Messi's tally were penalties though?

Does it really matter though? Its an amazing achievement.

quarryman

quarryman wrote: »

How many of Messi's tally were penalties though?

All 86 goals here

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/players/lionel-messi/9733927/Lionel-Messis-86-goals-from-2012-that-saw-him-break-Gerd-Muellers-record.html#

Neil3030

So easy to be cynical about modern football, but we are blessed to be living in his era. He rises above all that is wrong with the modern game, and will rightly be remembered for a long long time.