Manuel Neuer overtakes Lionel Messi in the Champions League

Manuel Neuer made Champions League history when he took the field for Bayern Munich against Atlético Madrid. Keeping goal in this crucial encounter, the experienced German goalkeeper made his 164th appearance in the Champions League, becoming the player with the third-most appearances in the competition's history. Having played 22 Champions League matches for Schalke 04 and 142 for Bayern Munich over the course of his career, Neuer once again wrote his name into the history books in golden letters.

Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list with 183 appearances for three different clubs. The Portuguese star played 101 matches for Real Madrid, 59 for Manchester United and 23 for Juventus. He is followed by legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas on 177 appearances. With 150 matches for Real Madrid, Casillas ranks among the players with the most appearances for a single club in the competition's history.

Having reached 164 matches, Neuer moved into 3rd place on his own, overtaking Lionel Messi and Thomas Müller, who are both on 163. Müller played all 163 of his matches for Bayern Munich, making him one of two players in the top 10 to have spent their entire Champions League career at a single club. Messi, meanwhile, featured 149 times for Barcelona and 14 times for Paris Saint-Germain in the competition. Behind these stars come Karim Benzema (152), Toni Kroos (151) and Xavi (151).

The top 10 is completed by Robert Lewandowski with 144 appearances, followed by Luka Modrić, Raúl and Sergio Ramos with 142 each. Lewandowski stands out as the only player in this elite group to have competed with three different teams: Bayern Munich (78), Barcelona (38) and Borussia Dortmund (28).