MÜLLER MADE HISTORY IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The record in which Thomas Müller surpassed an FC Barcelona legend in the Champions League
Published:18/09/2024 - 14:05h
Updated:18/09/2024 - 14:14h
Thomas Müller continues to add achievements to his historic sporting career. On this occasion, the German playmaker has established a new record in the UEFA Champions League by beating a figure from FC Barcelona
The historic thrashing by Bayern Munich against Dinamo Zagreb (9-2) in matchday one of the UEFA Champions League left a significant record in numerical terms, related to the voracious goal-scoring pace exhibited by the Bavarians to 'crush' the Croatians. Even Vincent Kompany's side became the team that scored the most goals in a single match in the modern era of the Champions League (since 1992). Additionally, English 'killer' Harry Kane broke significant records with his poker of goals.
However, there was another record that perhaps didn't capture as much attention from the spotlight. This milestone involved the indefatigable Thomas Müller, who at 35 years of age, after playing 22 minutes against Dinamo Zagreb, thus reached his 152nd appearance in the UEFA Champions League. What makes this achievement special? With this match, the talented German attacking midfielder surpassed a historic figure for FC Barcelona in terms of the number of appearances in this competition.
The Barça legend Thomas Müller surpassed in the UEFA Champions League
This time around, Thomas Müller surpassed Xavi Hernández (151), positioning himself as the fifth player with the most appearances in the history of the UEFA Champions League. Following this encounter, Bayern Munich's '25' also surpassed a compatriot, Toni Kroos (151), and now shares the fourth spot with Karim Benzema, who has played 152 matches in this tournament. Ahead of him are names like Lionel Messi (163), Iker Casillas (177), and Cristiano Ronaldo (183).
| PLAYER | CLUBS | NUMBER OF MATCHES PLAYED |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus | 183 |
| Iker Casillas | Real Madrid and Porto | 177 |
| Lionel Messi | FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain | 163 |
| Karim Benzema | Real Madrid and Olympique Lyon | 152 |
| Thomas Müller | Bayern Munich | 152 |
| Toni Kroos | Real Madrid and Bayern Munich | 151 |
| Xavi Hernández | FC Barcelona | 151 |
| Ryan Giggs | Manchester United | 145 |
| Raúl González | Real Madrid and Schalke 04 | 142 |
| Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain | 142 |
It's worth noting that Thomas Müller's record has another particularity: he has achieved it solely with one club, Bayern Munich, being the only one in the 'top 5' of historical appearances in the Champions League to meet this parameter. With this, the German international further solidifies his place in the history of the Bavarian team, where he is already the player with the most appearances in the club's shirt (712), surpassing the record of the legendary goalkeeper Sepp Maier.
