Thomas Müller made his 152nd UEFA Champions League appearance in Bayern Munich’s Matchday 1 win over Dinamo Zagreb, breaking the single-club appearance record in the UCL. Which players has he just bypassed?
Thomas Müller made his 152nd UEFA Champions League appearance in Tuesday night’s game between Bayern Munich and Dinamo Zagreb. Every single one of those appearances has come for the German giants.
Müller’s substitute appearance in Bayern’s 2024-25 Matchday 1 win saw him overtake former Barcelona midfielder Xavi (151) for the most appearances made in the Champions League for a single club:
Most UEFA Champions League Appearances for a Club
Thomas Müller – 152 for Bayern Munich
Xavi – 151 for Barcelona
Iker Casillas – 150 for Real Madrid
Lionel Messi – 149 for Barcelona
Ryan Giggs – 141 for Manchester United
Karim Benzema – 133 for Real Madrid
Raúl – 130 for Real Madrid
Andrés Iniesta – 130 for Barcelona
Sergio Busquets – 129 for Barcelona
Sergio Ramos – 129 for Real Madrid
Müller’s 152nd appearance in the competition also took him above Xavi in the overall Champions League appearance rankings, and into joint-fourth place level with Karim Benzema.
Only Lionel Messi (163), Iker Casillas (177) and Cristiano Ronaldo (183) have made more appearances in the competition than the German as it stands, but if Bayern go deep in this year’s tournament, Müller could catch up to Messi:
Most UEFA Champions League Appearances Overall
Cristiano Ronaldo – 183 apps
Iker Casillas – 177 apps
Lionel Messi – 163 apps
Karim Benzema – 152 apps
Thomas Müller – 152 apps
Toni Kroos – 151 apps
Xavi – 151 apps
Raúl – 142 apps
Sergio Ramos – 142 apps
Manuel Neuer – 142 apps
After coming on against Dinamo Zagreb, 2024-25 becomes Müller’s 17th season with at least one UCL appearance.
With the Bayern star now 35 years old, it’s very unlikely he’ll go on to equal the competition record of 20 separate seasons with a UCL appearance set by Iker Casillas, which is just ahead of Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi and Pepe’s tally of 19.
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