The German club has historically been the toughest opponent in Lionel Messi’s 166-match career, a stark contrast to the many fixtures he has played against other teams over the years.
The night Messi broke Jerome Boateng’s hip during Barcelona against Bayern Munich in the 2014/15 Champions League remains etched in memory. It was a day when Messi illuminated the Catalans and helped his side reach the season’s final. Yet, that glorious moment did not fully reflect the broader record Messi owed to Bayern. Across all his encounters, the Argentine has endured a tougher fate against Bayern than against any other opponent he faced, underscoring a recurring pattern with the Bavarian giants.
Out of the 166 teams Messi faced, only five have a negative head-to-head record against him after more than one meeting. Bayern stands apart because they have held the clear advantage in the series, recording more wins against Messi than any other opponent in those multiple meetings. This dynamic makes Bayern the exceptional case in Messi’s extensive career, with the German club typically triumphing more often than not in their clashes.
With that context, it is useful to review Messi’s numbers when the Bayern rivalry is analyzed.
Lionel Messi vs Bayern Munich: history, matches, goals, wins, losses, draws and statistics
The first leg of the 2022-23 Champions League round of 16, played at Parc des Princes with PSG hosting Bayern, ended 0-1 in favor of the German side in Paris. That match marked Messi’s seventh appearance against Bayern in Munich, continuing a long and storied series between the two clubs.
Messi’s first encounter with Bayern occurred in the 2008-09 Champions League quarter-finals. He played the full 90 minutes of the first leg, scoring twice and assisting once in a 4-0 Barcelona victory. In the return leg, he again played the full 90 minutes, but neither scored nor assisted as the match finished 1-1 and sent Barça through to the semi-finals. Barcelona would go on to win the competition that season, beating Manchester United in the final.
The Argentinian’s third meeting with Bayern came in the 2012-13 Champions League semi-finals. It proved to be a difficult night for Barcelona, who lost 4-0 away and then were defeated 3-0 at home, with Messi starting on the bench in the second leg due to discomfort and receiving no minutes on the pitch that evening.
Messi would later get his revenge in the 2014/15 semi-finals, delivering a standout performance with two goals and an assist in the 3-0 first-leg draw at Camp Nou. The night also featured a memorable dribble that led to the moment when Boateng was injured, a defining image of the tie. In the second leg, Barcelona lost 3-2 but advanced to the final, with Messi playing the full 180 minutes across the two legs.
August 2020 brought one of Messi’s most painful results against Bayern, as the Bavarians delivered an 8-2 thrashing in Lisbon during a UEFA Final Eight event held amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Messi captained the Barca side that year, but the team’s campaign ended in the quarter-finals of the continental competition.
Below is a concise overview of Messi’s figures in matches against Bayern Munich, illustrating the scope and depth of this enduring rivalry.