Manuel Neuer sets new record for most Bundesliga wins as MD27's Man of the Matchday
Manuel Neuer set a new Bundesliga record for most top-flight wins, pulling clear of former goalkeeping great Oliver Kahn on 311 victories after his side's 4-0 triumph over Union Berlin.
Neuer, 35, brought up the record number as Bayern overpowered Union on Matchday 27, making a number of good saves to bring up another milestone: his 150th clean sheet for the Reds in the Bundesliga.
The Germany international has had to wait several weeks to become the out-and-out record holder after pulling level with former Bayern custodian - and current club CEO - Oliver Kahn on 310 wins when Bayern beat RB Leipzig 3-2 on Matchday 21. Since then, Neuer as been absent with injury, while Bayern also drew 1-1 with Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen on Matchdays 26 and 25.
Win number 311 came on the nine-time champion’s 460th appearance in Germany’s top flight.
The first 77 of those triumphs came in 156 games for boyhood club Schalke, before Neuer went on to cement his position as the world’s greatest ever goalkeeper in a decade-defining spell at Bayern, where he has now left the pitch triumphant in 234 out of 304 Bundesliga matches.
Watch: 16 seasons, 16 Neuer saves
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He beat Kahn’s record in blistering time. The Bayern CEO and Neuer’s predecessor as goalkeeper and captain brought up his 310th and final victory in his 557th game by beating Hertha Berlin 4-1 in the last matchday of 2007/08, before hanging up his gloves.
As Robert Lewandowski is now doing to Gerd Müller’s historic goalscoring records, Neuer has been pinching them off Kahn.
The current Germany No.1 took Kahn’s Bundesliga record for clean sheets (204 for Karlsruhe and Bayern) at the start of this season – again in well over 100 games fewer – and is now moving clear out in front on 211.
Watch: Neuer the sweeper-keeper
Kahn was 38 when he retired, but was recently quoted in Abendzeitung as saying 35-year-old Neuer could play even beyond that. He also stated that an extension to the Bayern captain’s contract, which expires in 2023, is high on the priority list, while joking that he’d told Neuer to leave him some records before he’s done.
The eight-time Bundesliga winner – itself another total Neuer has surpassed – could be as low as third come the end of this year, with Thomas Müller not far behind on 300 wins.
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