MIAMI — Of the many scintillating storylines surrounding the MLS Cup Final between Inter Miami and the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, the one getting most global attention is the matchup between Argentine icon Lionel Messi and German legend Thomas Muller.

They have faced each other 10 times representing club and country and Muller’s team has beaten Messi’s team in seven of those encounters.

Seeing them on the field together at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale will surely conjure up memories of Argentina’s painful losses to Germany in the 2014 World Cup Final and the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals.

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano was also on the field for Argentina in both of those games. In fact, he was the captain for the 2010 quarterfinal, which Germany won, 4-0, in Cape Town, South Africa. Muller scored one of the goals.

Four years later, Messi and Mascherano had their hearts broken again by Muller’s German team in the World Cup final at historic Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

An estimated 100,000 Argentine fans poured into Rio for the big game, most without tickets, just to be close to their beloved team. They slept in cars and tents and could be seen all over the city in light blue and white.

Ticket prices soared as high as $20,000. The game, which also included former Argentine Inter Miami star Gonzalo Higuain, remained scoreless after 90 minutes and Mario Gotze scored the game winner in extra time.

After that loss, Mascherano said: “This was our chance, and we felt that way. We couldn’t do it. We have to lift our head and suffer the pain. Obviously, the pain is tremendous. We wanted the cup for Argentina.”

Argentina’s only two wins over Germany in Messi vs. Muller head-to-head games were in friendlies.

At the club level, all the meetings between Messi and Muller came in the UEFA Champions League, with Muller representing Bayern Munich and Messi playing for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

Mascherano and Inter Miami players Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba were Messi’s teammates at Barca for many of those games.

In six club matchups against Messi, Muller won five, including the historic 8-2 rout in the Champions League quarterfinals in August 2020, which was held in Portugal behind closed doors with no fans due to COVID. It was the first time Barca conceded eight goals since 1946, and Muller scored two of Bayern’s goals. Suarez, Alba and Busquets played in that game.

Messi’s lone club victory over Muller came in the 2014-15 Champions League semifinal, a 3-0 win as Barcelona went on to win the trophy.

Both players have had remarkable careers.

Messi, 38, and Muller, 36, are tied for the third-most UEFA Champions League appearances all time. Between them they won six Champions League titles. Muller led Germany to the 2014 World Cup title and Messi did the same with Argentina in 2022.

Even so, Muller insists Saturday’s match (2:30 p.m., Apple TV, FOX, FOX Deportes) is not about them.

“It’s not about Messi against Thomas Muller,” he said in a postgame interview Saturday night after Vancouver beat San Diego, 3-1, in the Western Conference final. “It’s Miami against the Whitecaps.”

He went on to say: “Maybe they rely a little bit more on him than we do on me, because we are such a good group.

“The nice thing about it is not only playing against the greatest player who played our game … when you have a pairing like this, more people are watching. If more people are watching, the value also for you as a player, as an individual, also for your team and also for your franchise, is way bigger.”

As for how he feels about facing Messi for the 11th time, Muller said: “I enjoy watching him. Miami’s a very strong team. We saw them beating New York in a really strong manner. It’s a big final. I wished for this final. And here we go. I think it’s great for everyone.”

Messi vs. Muller Head-to-Head

— 2009/10: Friendly. Argentina won, 1-0

— 2010 World Cup quarterfinal: Germany won, 4-0

— 2012/13: Friendly. Argentina won, 3-1

— 2012/13 Champions League semifinal: Bayern Munich beat FC Barcelona, 4-0

— 2014 World Cup Final: Germany won, 1-0

— 2014/15 Champions League semifinal: FC Barcelona beat Bayern Munich, 3-0

— 2014/15 Champions League semifinal: Bayern Munich beat FC Barcelona, 3-2

— 2019/20 Champions League quarterfinal: Bayern Munich beat FC Barcelona, 8-2

— 2022/23 Champions League round of 16: Bayern Munich beat PSG, 1-0

— 2022/23 Champions League round of 16: Bayern Munich beat PSG, 2-0

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