The Barca expert struck again! Who else could have given FC Bayern the lead in the opening game Champions League against Barcelona (3-0) than Thomas Müller? The Bavarian native scored the opener for the German record champions in the 34th minute and extended his incredible record against the Catalans. In six clashes with Barca, Müller has scored seven times - no other player in the history of European football has scored as often against Barcelona.
'I like scoring against Barca'
After the final whistle, Müller agreed that, in this case, one can probably speak with some certainty about the identity of his real favourite opponents. "If you look at the stats, that's probably the case. That's because Barcelona like to play open football, and as an attacker you get an extra yard or two in front of the defence as a result," the attacker explained. "I like scoring against Barca."
One day after his 32nd birthday, Müller probably gave himself the best present. And it didn't bother the Germany international that his goal was scored with the help of an opposition defender. Eric Garcia deflected Müller's shot from a good 20 yards out with his back, sending goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen the wrong way and with no chance.
Joy over successful start
But while the goal may have been fortunate, the fact that Müller was scoring at this point in the season is not necessarily coincidental. Not only because of his preference for playing against Barcelona, but also because he's already distinguished himself on the same platform before. Müller's goal at the Camp Nou was his eighth on Matchday 1 of a Champions League season - no other player in Bayern's history has come out of the blocks in this competition so well.
And so Müller once again played his part in FC Bayern starting their 18th consecutive year in the competition with a win to open the campaign. "Overall, playing here is just really fun. The boys enjoyed it. And when you win 3-0 here in the opening game of the season, it sends a very important message. We're very happy," the goalscorer summarised.
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