Freshly-crowned FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi has sent Gerd Müller an autographed Barcelona shirt in acknowledgement of beating his record for goals in a calendar year.
And Messi wanted to share the moment with the legendary striker by sending him a Barça shirt with "Messi 10" on the back and the message: "To Gerd Müller / My respect and admiration / A hug".
The shirt has been sent along with a letter from Barcelona president Sandro Rosell to to his Bayern Munich counterpart Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Rosell wrote of the gesture as a "recognition for the figure and person of Gerd Müller", adding that the previous record "was clearly an added motivation and target for Messi".
"The esteem and admiration our club feels for Bayern and it's fans is demonstrated once again in the historical tie between these two great players who have become sporting legends of our clubs", Rosell wrote in the letter.
Müller, now part of Bayern's coaching structure, had already praised Messi after he beat his record in a match against Real Betis last December.
"If a player scores close to 100 goals in year, there can be no two opinions about who's the best player in the world", Müller had said on that occasion.
"He's an unbelievable player, a giant, but at the same time such a likeable and modest professional."
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| Barcelona player Lionel Messi poses with a shirt he would send to Bayern Munich legend Gerd Müller Photo: fcbarcelona.com |
Messi finished last year with 91 goals for Barcelona and Argentina, thus breaking Müller's record of 85 goals scored in a calendar year, achieved in 1972.
And Messi wanted to share the moment with the legendary striker by sending him a Barça shirt with "Messi 10" on the back and the message: "To Gerd Müller / My respect and admiration / A hug".
The shirt has been sent along with a letter from Barcelona president Sandro Rosell to to his Bayern Munich counterpart Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Rosell wrote of the gesture as a "recognition for the figure and person of Gerd Müller", adding that the previous record "was clearly an added motivation and target for Messi".
"The esteem and admiration our club feels for Bayern and it's fans is demonstrated once again in the historical tie between these two great players who have become sporting legends of our clubs", Rosell wrote in the letter.
Müller, now part of Bayern's coaching structure, had already praised Messi after he beat his record in a match against Real Betis last December.
"If a player scores close to 100 goals in year, there can be no two opinions about who's the best player in the world", Müller had said on that occasion.
"He's an unbelievable player, a giant, but at the same time such a likeable and modest professional."
Team Personal Also see:
