Manuel Neuer once again made club history in FC Bayern’s 5-0 victory over Bodø/Glimt. With his appearance in the opener of the new Champions League season, the 40-year-old set a new record for Germany’s most successful club.
For Neuer, this is already his 18th different Champions League season in which he has taken the field at least once for Munich. With this, the Bayern captain has surpassed a longtime teammate.
Until now, Neuer had shared the record with Thomas Müller. The Bayern icon played for the club in 17 different Champions League seasons. Since the opener against Bodø/Glimt, Neuer has been the sole record-holder.
The next milestone in a career that has already produced numerous records.
Neuer overtakes Bayern icon Müller
Since his move from FC Schalke 04 to Munich in the summer of 2011, Neuer has been one of the defining figures at FC Bayern. He has now made 140 appearances between the posts for the record champions in the Champions League.
If you add his appearances for Schalke, Neuer has played a total of 162 matches in Europe’s premier club competition. The former German national team goalkeeper kept 64 clean sheets and conceded a total of 155 goals.
Neuer has already won the Champions League twice with Bayern. He was the clear number one in goal for Munich both during the 2013 treble and when they won the Champions League again in 2020.
The fact that Neuer has now surpassed Thomas Müller—of all people—in the number of different Champions League seasons played underscores the goalkeeper’s extraordinary longevity. Together, the two shaped the most successful phase of Bayern’s recent history over many years.
Even at 40, Neuer remains the number one goalkeeper for Germany’s record-holding champions. At the same time, his workload is now being managed more carefully.
Urbig is waiting in the wings behind Neuer
Bayern signed Jonas Urbig some time ago as Neuer’s potential successor. The young goalkeeper regularly gets his chances under Vincent Kompany, while the captain continues to be called upon primarily for the big games.
This season, for example, Urbig started in the DFB-Pokal match against VfL Osnabrück. In the Bundesliga games so far, as well as in the Champions League opener against Bodø/Glimt, Kompany, however, opted for Neuer.
Against the Norwegians, the 40-year-old had a relatively quiet evening. Bayern dominated the match and ultimately celebrated a decisive 5-0 victory. For Neuer, this also marked the 65th clean sheet of his Champions League career.
It remains to be seen how much longer the captain will continue to build on his impressive record. His contract with FC Bayern runs through the end of the season.
One thing is already certain, however: With his 18th Champions League season for Munich, Neuer has secured his place in FC Bayern’s history books—even surpassing Thomas Müller in the process.