Top 10 German Players with most appearances in UCL history
Germany is one of the most prestigious footballing nations and the country has produced some of the sport’s finest players. Here we take a look at some of their key performers throughout the history of Europe’s premier club competition, as we run through the top 10 German players with the most appearances in Champions League history.
1. Thomas Müller – 162 Champions League appearances
Thomas Müller recently set an appearance record in the Champions League, with all 162 of his appearances coming for Bayern Munich, seeing him overtake Xavi as the player with the most appearances in the competition for a single club.
Müller’s talents and footballing intelligence have seen him become renowned as one of the competition’s best players, while his record of 57 goals and 35 assists speaks for itself. With two titles to his name, in 2012-13 and 2019-20, Müller has cemented his place in Champions League history and he may even add to those triumphs before he hangs up his boots.
2. Toni Kroos – 151 Champions League appearances
Next on the list is another player who has appeared for Bayern in the Champions League, but unlike Müller, the majority of Toni Kroos’ 151 appearances came in the famous all-white of Real Madrid.
Kroos began his Champions League journey at Bayern, where he notched up 41 appearances in the competition and one title. After moving to Real Madrid, Kroos would a further 110 Champions League appearances, winning another five titles in the process. This level of consistency and success means the now-retired Kroos is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.
3. Manuel Neuer – 150 Champions League appearances
Speaking of players who are considered one of, if not the best of their generation, number three on the list is Manuel Neuer. The German goalkeeper is one of a number of Munich legends on this list and 128 of his 150 appearances came for the Bavarians, while his first 22 came during his time at FC Schalke 04.
He is undoubtedly one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the Champions League, having revolutionized the position with his ability on the ball and tendency to push high out of his penalty area. He, like Müller, has two titles to his name and may yet add another before he hangs up his gloves.
Neuer extended his contract with Bayern Munich until June 2026, so you can bet on his side to win next year’s competition at Probet42 – the best place to find all the latest Champions League odds in one place, from a range of top sports betting sites and exchanges.
4. Philipp Lahm – 112 Champions League appearances
Philipp Lahm follows the trend of Bayern Munich legends on this list. The ever-dependable right-back made seven Champions League appearances on loan at VfB Stuttgart in 2003-04 but the vast majority of his Champions League action came with boyhood club Bayern. He would rarely find himself out of the team squad until his retirement in 2017, upon which he had compiled a total of 105 appearances in Europe’s premier club competition.
He got his hands on the same title as Müller, Neuer and Kroos in the 2012-13 season, but unfortunately retired too early to be part of the 2019-20 triumph, ending his career with one Champions League medal in his collection.
5. İlkay Gündoğan – 107 Champions League appearances
İlkay Gündoğan has one of the more diverse careers on this list, appearing in the Champions League for three clubs across three different countries. His journey started in his native Germany with Borussia Dortmund, where he would make 20 of his 107 appearances, almost winning the competition when losing the 2012-13 final to Bayern, a game in which he scored from the penalty spot.
77 of his total appearances have come at Manchester City, with a season at Barcelona in 2023-24 seeing him rack up another 10. He finally got his hands on the trophy in 2023 when City defeated Inter Milan in the final, skippering Pep Guardiola’s side to glory. His recent contract extension in Manchester means he is set to add to his appearance tally next season.
6. Oliver Kahn – 103 Champions League appearances
Oliver Kahn joins Manuel Neuer as the only two goalkeepers on this list, with Kahn also marking the final player in the top 10 to have made over 100 Champions League appearances. Like Müller, all of his 103 Champions League appearances were for Bayern and he also managed to win the 2000-01 competition, stopping three spot-kicks in the penalty shootout win over Valencia. Kahn was a ferocious competitor and one of the competition’s goalkeeping icons.
7. Joshua Kimmich – 95 Champions League appearances
Joshua Kimmich is another currently active player on the list and at 30 could still climb a few spots higher as he shows no signs of slowing down at the top level. He is yet another on this list to have made all of his appearances for Bayern Munich since his debut in the competition in 2015. He was part of the 2019-20 Bayern team that lifted the trophy and will want to add another to his collection soon.
8. Bastian Schweinsteiger – 95 Champions League appearances
Falling just short of the 100 mark, Bastian Schweinsteiger finished his Champions League career in 2016 with 95 appearances. 89 of those came with his beloved Bayern Munich, where he won the competition in 2013, having suffered heartbreak the year before when missing his penalty in the shootout loss to Chelsea in the final. His final six appearances came at Manchester United, leaving him with one title, 12 goals, 18 assists and an undeniable legacy in the competition.
9. Michael Ballack – 93 Champions League appearances
Michael Ballack was another all-action midfielder who made up his Champions League appearance tally across a range of clubs and countries, including a spell at Chelsea where he made 33 of his 93 appearances. The rest came at stints with three different German clubs, starting his career with six appearances for FC Kaiserslautern, followed by 20 for Bayer Leverkusen, then 28 at Bayern, before his switch to Stamford Bridge, before finally returning to Leverkusen for a further six appearances. He is one of just two players on the list who never won the competition, but he is still widely regarded as one of the best midfielders Germany has ever produced.
10. Mats Hummels – 90 Champions League appearances
The other player on this list without a Champions League crown to his name is Mats Hummels. He came agonizingly close to winning it but lost in the final on two occasions with Borussia Dortmund, suffering defeat to Bayern Munich in 2013 and Real Madrid in 2024. 66 of his appearances came for Dortmund, with 24 coming during his time at rivals Bayern between 2016 and 2019.
He can be considered one of the unluckiest players on this list, having left Bayern the summer before they won the competition in 2020.
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