| Updated: The 2026/27 Champions League campaign is underway, with the opening round already producing major milestones for some of the competition’s most experienced footballers. After last night, eight players taking part this season have reached 100 Champions League appearances, while Kylian Mbappé moved to 99 after scoring in Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Inter.
SportingPedia compared the most experienced players registered for this season with the Champions League’s all-time appearance leaders to see which milestones could fall and whether any of the current crop can alter the historical top 10.
Manuel Neuer is the most experienced player taking part this season. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper begins the campaign with 161 Champions League appearances, placing him fifth in history and making him the only current participant already inside the all-time top 10. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the ranking with 183 matches, ahead of Iker Casillas on 177, while Lionel Messi and Thomas Muller are tied on 163.
Neuer is also the only current player capable of changing that top 10 this season. Three more appearances would take him past Messi and Muller, while the longest possible route to the final could even lift him above Casillas and into second place. Behind him, Marquinhos leads the chasing pack on 122 appearances, but even the maximum 17 matches would leave the PSG captain outside the historical top 10.
Thibaut Courtois became the eighth current Champions League player to reach 100 appearances in last night’s Real Madrid 2-1 victory over Inter in the opening round of the 2026/27 campaign. In that same game, Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring and made his 99th appearance in the competition, leaving him just one match away from joining his teammate at the century mark.
Footballers With The Most Champions League Matches In History
Data Source: Transfermarkt
Neuer Is the Last Top-10 Player Still in the Champions League
The all-time appearance ranking is filled with players who defined the Champions League over the past two decades. Cristiano Ronaldo remains the outright leader with 183 matches, followed by Iker Casillas on 177. Lionel Messi and Thomas Muller share third place with 163 each, while Neuer begins the new campaign only two appearances behind them. Karim Benzema follows on 152, Xavi and Toni Kroos are level on 151, Ryan Giggs has 145 and Robert Lewandowski completes the top 10 with 144.
Of those ten players, Neuer is the only one taking part in this season’s Champions League. That gives him a unique opportunity to climb a historical ranking in which every other total is fixed. The first move could come almost immediately. Two appearances would bring Neuer level with Messi and Muller, while a third would take him to 164 and into third place outright.
Casillas Is Within Reach, but Only Through the Longest Route
Passing Casillas would require far more than simply reaching the latter stages. Teams finishing between first and eighth in the league phase qualify directly for the round of 16 and can play a maximum of 15 Champions League matches over the season. If Bayern follow that route and Neuer appears in every game through to the final, he would finish on 176 – one short of Casillas.
To go past the former Real Madrid goalkeeper, Bayern would need to finish between ninth and 24th, contest the two-legged knockout phase play-off and then advance all the way to the final. That route creates a maximum 17-match campaign. If Neuer plays all 17, he would reach 178 appearances and move into second place in Champions League history. Ronaldo’s record would remain untouched. Even that maximum would leave Neuer five appearances behind the Portuguese forward.
Footballers in the Champions League With The Most Matches
Data Source: Transfermarkt
Marquinhos Leads the Chasing Pack, but the Top 10 Is Out of Reach
There is a sizeable gap between Neuer and the rest of the most experienced players taking part this season. Marquinhos is next on 122 Champions League appearances, followed by Koke on 118 and Ilkay Gundogan on 115. Joshua Kimmich has 109, Jan Oblak 106 and Bernardo Silva 104. All six are seasoned Champions League veterans, but none is close enough to reach the historical top 10 during this campaign.
Marquinhos is the nearest. Even if PSG take the play-off route and reach the final, giving him the opportunity to play all 17 possible matches, he would finish on 139. That would still leave him five appearances behind Lewandowski, who currently occupies tenth place with 144.
The contrast shows just how difficult it is to reach the very top of the appearance ranking. More than 100 Champions League matches represents remarkable longevity, yet even Marquinhos, already well beyond that landmark, remains more than a full season away from the current top-10 threshold. Neuer therefore stands apart from the rest of the current field. While others are building towards the historical elite, he begins the season already among it and with several legends directly ahead of him.
Courtois Hits 100 Appearances and Mbappe Reaches 99 in Real Madrid’s Win Over Inter
Real Madrid’s victory over Inter on the opening day brought major milestones for two of the competition’s most experienced current players. Thibaut Courtois made his 100th Champions League appearance in the 2-1 win and marked the occasion with six saves to help preserve all three points.
Courtois is now the eighth player taking part in this season’s Champions League to have reached 100 appearances, joining Neuer, Marquinhos, Koke, Gundogan, Kimmich, Oblak and Bernardo Silva.
Kylian Mbappé also moved closer to the landmark on a significant night of his own. The Frenchman opened the scoring against Inter and made his 99th Champions League appearance, leaving him one match away from becoming the ninth current player in the competition to reach three figures.
Real Madrid, Bayern and Atletico Fill Seven of the Ten Spots Among the Champions League’s Most Experienced Players
Real Madrid have the strongest representation among the ten most experienced players taking part in this season’s Champions League, with Bernardo Silva, Thibaut Courtois and Kylian Mbappé all making the list. Bayern Munich are represented by Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich, while Atletico Madrid also have two players in Koke and Jan Oblak. Together, the three clubs account for seven of the ten players on the current ranking, underlining the depth of Champions League experience within their squads.