Manuel Neuer became the oldest player ever to play for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga when he appeared against FSV Mainz 05.
At 40 years and 225 days old, Neuer passed previous record holder Bernd Dreher (40 years and 198 days). Dreher played for the Munich club from 1996 to 2008, with a break during that period, and served as their second- or third-choice goalkeeper. Now 60, he made just 15 competitive appearances for Bayern Munich.
That Mainz appearance puts Neuer seventh on the list across all Bundesliga clubs. Only Mirko Votava (Werder Bremen), Edin Dzeko (Schalke 04), Claudio Pizarro (Werder Bremen), Toni Schumacher (Borussia Dortmund), Uli Stein (Arminia Bielefeld) and record holder Klaus Fichtel (Schalke 04) are ahead of him. Fichtel played his final match in 1988 at the age of 43 years and 184 days.
Neuer's Bayern Munich contract expires at the end of the season, when he will in all likelihood also retire. If he plays on the final day of the Bundesliga season, he would become the sixth-oldest player in Bundesliga history, provided Dzeko, who is just ahead of him and is also still active, continues to make appearances until then.
Manuel Neuer recently missed Bayern Munich games with a foot injury
A foot injury most recently sidelined Neuer, who has struggled with various health problems in recent months. He missed three games before making his comeback in Tuesday's 2-0 win against Atletico Madrid.
The Mainz game marks Neuer's ninth appearance this season. Jonas Urbig deputised for him in the other seven competitive matches. The 23-year-old is regarded as his designated successor at Bayern Munich and probably also in the DFB team. Neuer retired from the latter for a second time after the embarrassing World Cup in the summer.