Vancouver Whitecaps forward Thomas Müller said the MLS Cup on Dec. 6 against Inter Miami is the perfect final, emphasizing the playing styles of both teams will make for an exciting matchup.
"I think this match is great. I know you guys and the media and also MLS, it makes sense also to make a point with Messi and with myself and the bigger names, but I think it's about two teams with a very attractive and good looking playing style," Müller said. "It's the perfect final in my opinion. I appreciate being part of it."
Müller will reunite with longtime opponents Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez on the field after facing the Inter Miami stars on various occasions while representing Bayern Munich and the German national team. Müller last faced Messi's Barcelona during the 2019-20 edition of the Champions League, with Bayern winning a famous 8-2 victory.
Müller and Messi, however, last faced each other when Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern faced off in the Champions League on March 8, 2023.
"For me it's always nice to meet old friends. We are not really close, but I was always watching them play and they are great players, they were great players. Some of them still are," Müller said. "It's always nice when you can look back to your own history to meet them again.
"Regarding the result or about the games, what was in the past is not very important for the future, but it's nice to see them."
The Vancouver forward holds has a record of seven wins and three losses when coming up against teams for which Messi plays.
Müller and Germany defeated Argentina 4-0 in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals and 1-0 in the 2014 World Cup final to win the trophy. Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano also formed part of the Argentina team that lost to Germany in both World Cup knockout matches.
"I don't have good memories of him," joked Mascherano when asked about Müller before praising the German forward. "He's a player I've had to face for many years, both with the national team and at the club level. A player who is obviously one of the best of his generation, a world champion, he's won everything with Bayern. A player who brings a different level of prestige not only to Vancouver, but to the league and MLS as a whole. A truly great player. Let's hope that tomorrow luck is on our side."
Müller, however, said that records and previous victories do not impact his confidence heading into the MLS final, as those triumphs remain in the past.
"When I look back in the past I feel very comfortable with that because that's already in the books," Müller said. "And I had a lot of great experience in these games with my teams, so it was fun. But it doesn't really matter for Saturday.
"It's a new game, maybe it gives you the feeling that I always have my confidence to beat someone or to compete with someone as a team and as an individual. So I don't need my history that much to be confident and the same as the boys who won against Inter Miami this season twice, but what does it mean? It gives you a little bit of good feeling but in the end the game is decided on the pitch.
"Saturday is in the future. It's a nice thing to talk about and I hope we can continue to talk about it Saturday after the game."
Müller referenced his team's two victories over Inter Miami in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals, where the Whitecaps eliminated the Herons by an aggregate score of 5-1.