Topics: Thomas Müller, Germany, Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo, FIFA World Cup, World Cup 2014
Thomas Müller, Germany's most awkward yet productive star, struck thrice whereas Cristiano Ronaldo failed to get on the board in the Group G opener.

South Africa 2010. 

Germany stepped out to play Spain in the World Cup in the semifinals. The big news on the day was that a young and lanky lad by the name of Thomas Müller would not be participating. He had incurred a suspension in the previous round against Argentina. Without him, Germany suffered. They lost 1-0 in the match. The youngster's value was now understood even more. Germany needed the Bayern Munich man. He returned in the third place play-off and scored. As a side note, he took home with him the Golden Boot and the Best Young Player Award.

Brazil 2014.

The forward, who looks absolutely out of place on a football pitch due to his physique, was no longer the kid. He had won everything there was to win at club level. Yet, he seemed almost like the enthusiastic winger who took the world by storm in 2010. And this time, on opening day, he added three more to his World Cup tally.

Müller's name does not headline the newspapers every day. He is a versatile and important player but his name does not garner the attention of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. It seems when circumstances are against him, Ronaldo is unable to rise to the occasion. Portugal looked to their captain for leadership at 2-0 down. They continued to rely on him when they went a man down. But Ronaldo did little more than strike the wall when free-kicks came his way or warm Manuel Neuer's palms. He harassed the referee for a penalty. But, on the grandest stage of all, he came across as a man who knows little about teamwork.

Meanwhile, the "Raumdeuter", which, if interpreted, would mean "the interpreter of space", Thomas Müller did what he does best. He harried and harassed the Portugal back line looking to take advantage of every inch of space he could find. Müller opened his account from the spot; the fact that his coach Joachim Löw assigns him the responsibility of taking penalties despite the presence of a certain Mesut Özil speaks volumes about the Bayern player.

He stepped up and accurately placed the ball in the left corner of the net. This was not a penalty from Andrea Pirlo; it was a simple but accurate one for the German. His second was a brilliant strike. Toni Kroos' over hit pass rebounded off Bruno Alves. Müller blocked the rebound with his leg and struck the ball with plenty of power. The presence of mind to actually block the rebound and then be able to react within seconds with a shot of such quality is a gift in itself. The process looked awkward like the forward himself. The result was a beautiful addition to the score-line. 

Müller's third once again showed his versatility. Andre Schürrle set him up with a perfect pass. However there was little space between him and Portugal's keeper, Rui Patricio. He somehow managed to squeeze the ball across the line. The Raumdeuter thus did his job to perfection.

His coach said of him according to goal.com:

"Thomas played very well up front. He kept Pepe and (Bruno) Alves busy the whole time. With his running paths he ripped the defence apart for other players – and he scored three goals. That's Thomas Müller."

His coach also added some interesting comments about Jerome Boateng, the man who was in charge of keeping Ronaldo at bay:

"When Ronaldo can start to run, it is going to get difficult because he can score with both feet. If he enters the box it is very dangerous."

"It was our goal to hassle him when he got the ball. Boateng did that very well. And when Boateng wasn't around, somebody else did."

Jerome Boateng is undoubtedly a very accomplished defender. However, Philipp Lahm is usually charged with keeping track of Ronaldo when these two teams meet. Boateng is not as accomplished a right-back as the German captain, who featured in midfield on the day. This perhaps shows that Germany, while respecting Ronaldo, knew that they did not have to put their best defender up against him to stop him.

Fitness of course played a part. Ronaldo might not have been fully fit. The best players do find a way though. While there has been talk of 36 year old Miroslav Klose usurping the Brazilian Ronaldo as the highest scorer in World Cup history, Müller has quickly crept up to eight goals. He has at least two more matches remaining in this tournament to add more goals. He is also only 24 and has every chance of being the record holder himself one day.

At the end of the day, while Ronaldo failed to do his job, Germany's false nine did his job to perfection. He found the little pockets of space which others cannot. In the process, he scored Germany's first hat-trick since Klose's in 2002 against Saudi Arabia in a World Cup.

And it will probably not be his last.