In making his 164th UEFA Champions League appearance, Manuel Neuer has moved into the top three for most appearances in history, surpassing Thomas Müller and Lionel Messi.
“It’s something very special for me,” he told reporters. “I had to wait quite a long time for this given the injuries I’ve had throughout my career.
“I think I’ll move a bit further up the rankings now, but in the last game against Arsenal, I drew level with Messi and Thomas Müller.
“They decided to leave the Champions League, so that means the path was clear for me to overtake them both.”
Neuer, who has recorded 65 clean sheets, now only trails Cristiano Ronaldo (187 appearances) and Iker Casillas (181 appearances).
Speaking on Bayern Munich’s 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, Neuer added: “I think we really had an answer for everything defensively. That was very important.”
