Leo Messi ended 2012 with an all-time world record of 91 goals in a calendar year, thus breaking the previous best set by Gerd Müller (85 in 1972). Messi wanted to share the moment with the legendary player known as The Torpedo by sending him a Barça shirt on which he has written the message: “To Gerd Müller / My respect and admiration / A hug”.

The shirt has been sent along with a letter from FCB president Sandro Rosell to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the chief executive at Bayern Munich, in which he expresses his “recognition for the figure and person of Gerd Müller” adding that the previous record “was clearly an added motivation and target for Messi”.

“The love and admiration that our Club feels for Bayern and its supporters has once again been demonstrated through the historic bond between these two players who have set new standards and generated such sentiment among our respective fans”, said the Barça president