Taffarel and Maier distanced: Manuel Neuer is World Cup record goalkeeper

19th mission against Costa Rica

Manuel Neuer is now the sole World Cup record goalkeeper. The 36-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper played his 19th World Cup game for the German national team against Costa Rica on Thursday evening. He replaced the German world champion from 1974, Sepp Maier, and Brazil’s Claudio Taffarel, who each played 18 times at a World Cup.

Neuer overtakes Taffarel: players with most World Cup appearances (all nations)

1 Lothar Matthäus (25 games for Germany)

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As of December 1, 2022

2 Miroslav Klose (24 games for Germany)

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3 Paolo Maldini (23 games for Italy)

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4 Lionel Messi (22 games for Argentina)

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5 Uwe Seeler (21 games for Germany)

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5 Wladyslaw Zmuda (21 games for Poland)

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5 Diego Maradona (21 games for Argentina)

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8 Bastian Schweinsteiger (20 games for Germany)

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8 Philipp Lahm (20 games for Germany)

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8 Cáfu (20 games for Brazil)

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8 Grzegorz Lato (20 games for Poland)

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8 Javier Mascherano (20 games for Argentina)

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13 Ronaldo (19 games for Brazil)

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13 Berti Vogts (19 games for Germany)

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13 Wolfgang Overath (19 games for Germany)

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13 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (19 games for Germany)

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13 Per Mertesacker (19 games for Germany)

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13 Rafael Marquez (19 games for Mexico)

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13 Cristiano Ronaldo (19 games for Portugal)

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13 Manuel Neuer (19 games for Germany)

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13 Thomas Müller (19 games for Germany)

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22 Mario Kempes (18 games for Argentina)

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22 Sepp Maier (18 games for Germany)

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22 Franz Beckenbauer (18 games for Germany)

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22 Pierre Littbarski (18 games for Germany)

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22 Thomas Berthold (18 games for Germany)

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22 Claudio Taffarel (18 games for Brazil)

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22 Dunga (18 games for Brazil)

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22 Fabio Cannavaro (18 games for Italy)

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22 Gaetano Scirea (18 games for Italy)

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22 Antonio Cabrini (18 games for Italy)

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Neuer, who had his 117th international match, made his tournament debut at the 2010 World Cup against Australia (4-0). Since then he has been in goal for all German World Cup games with one exception. Only in the match for third place in South Africa a good twelve years ago did he make room for his then substitute Hans Jörg Butt in a 3-2 win against Uruguay. The culmination of Neuer’s career was the 2014 World Cup victory in Brazil with a 1-0 win over Argentina in the final after extra time.

Like Neuer, Thomas Müller also played his 19th World Cup game in the Al-Bait Stadium in Al-Khour. The World Cup record player is Lothar Matthäus, who played 25 times for Germany in five tournaments.

Müller & Neuer climb: German players with the most World Cup appearances

12 Sepp Maier – 18 World Cup games

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As of December 1, 2022

12 Franz Beckenbauer – 18 World Cup games

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12 Pierre Littbarski – 18 World Cup games

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12 Thomas Berthold – 18 World Cup games

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6 Manuel Neuer – 19 World Cup games

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6 Thomas Müller – 19 World Cup games

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6 Per Mertesacker – 19 World Cup games

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6 Wolfgang Overath – 19 World Cup games

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6 Berti Vogts – 19 World Cup games

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6 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – 19 World Cup games

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4 Bastian Schweinsteiger – 20 World Cup games

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4 Philipp Lahm – 20 World Cup games

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3 Uwe Seeler – 21 World Cup games

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2 Miroslav Klose – 24 World Cup games

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1 Lothar Matthäus – 25 World Cup games

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