Manuel Neuer reached 164 Champions League appearances in Bayern München's league-phase trip to Atletico Madrid. That moved him ahead of Thomas Müller and Lionel Messi, and left only Cristiano Ronaldo and Iker Casillas above him in the all-time rankings.
Neuer's place in the record book
The milestone is striking because it sits in plain sight rather than at the end of a career. Neuer is 40 and still first choice for Bayern on European nights, with two Champions League appearances already this season. His league-phase rating is 6.54, which fits a goalkeeper whose value here is consistency and longevity rather than flashy numbers.
The broader scale is clear enough. Ronaldo has 183 Champions League appearances and Casillas 177, so Neuer still has ground to make up if he wants the top spot. Even so, the gap he has opened over Müller and Messi is substantial, because both finished on 163.
Bayern's European run and what comes next
Bayern's record sits alongside a decent but not dominant league-phase start. They are 15th with 5 points from 3 matches, and their form in the section reads draw, draw, win. Atletico are just behind them in 17th with 4 points from 3 matches, which gave the fixture some context beyond Neuer's milestone.
Neuer arrived from Schalke in 2011 and has helped Bayern win the Champions League in 2012/13 and 2019/20. He also suggested earlier this year that the 2026/27 season could be his last as a player, after signing a one-year extension with Bayern through to the end of the current campaign. Bayern's next European match is away to Lille on 25 November, where Neuer will have another chance to add to the total.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
