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Thomas Muller has joined Cristiano Ronaldo in an elite list of players with 100 wins in the UEFA Champions League, surpassing Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo is the player with the most wins in the competition's history (115), followed by his former Real Madrid teammate Iker Casillas (101). Cristiano Ronaldo played 183 games for clubs like Juventus, Real Madrid, and Manchester United to reach his tally.
Casillas, on the other hand, made 177 appearances in the competition for Real Madrid and FC Porto to reach the mark. Muller has now played 143 games in the competition to reach the 100-win club. His tally is more than legendary players like Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, and Karim Benzema.
Muller reached the milestone coming on as a substitute during Bayern Munich's 4-3 win against Manchester United in the Champions League 2023-24 Matchday 1 on September 20.
He took to social media after the game, writing:
"Wow - 100 CL wins. Without these amazing guys next to me this would not be possible. Thank you to all my teammates all over the last years."
Thomas Muller has now made 671 appearances for Bayern Munich across competitions, scoring 235 goals and providing 257 assists. The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner remains an exceptional player despite reaching the twilight of his career as he recently turned 34.
Terry Phelan named players who can replace Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the UEFA Champions League
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the greatest players to ever grace the UEFA Champions League. The Portuguese is a record five-time winner while the Argentine has won the competition three times with Barcelona.
Al-Nassr forward Ronaldo is the UCL's all-time top scorer with 140 goals. Inter Miami superstar Messi, meanwhile, has scored 129 goals in the competition and is second behind his Portuguese counterpart.
With the duo gone from European football, fans are keen to see who can replace them. Former Chelsea and Manchester City defender Terry Phelan gave a shortlist of players who can do so, saying (via Hindustan Times):
"We still have stars in the Champions League. Jude Bellingham is there, Erling Haaland is there, Robert Lewandowski, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane are there with Bayern Munich. Everybody will be looking at him to see what he can do."
"Ilkay Gundogan for Barcelona. Vinicius Jr. There are upcoming stars, who can score goals. I think the world goes on and football definitely goes on."
Replacing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is not an easy task by any means. The duo's consistency, along with their flair and magic, is unmatched in modern football.
