Manuel Neuer became the Ivory Coast goalkeeper record-holder in Germany’s second group match against Côte d’Ivoire, reaching 21 World Cup matches while the game was still 0-0. The 40-year-old moved past Hugo Lloris and gave Germany a record that could still grow in the final group match against Ecuador.
Neuer Passes Hugo Lloris
The new mark is straightforward: 21 World Cup matches for Neuer, 20 for Lloris. That one-game margin matters because it leaves the Germany keeper alone at the top of the goalkeepers’ appearance list in the tournament.
Lloris retired from the national team in January 2023, so his total could not increase. Neuer’s total, by contrast, changed in real time during Germany’s second group match against Côte d’Ivoire, and the record arrived before the result itself was settled.
Germany Against Côte d’Ivoire
The match was still 0-0 when Neuer reached the record. Germany still needed to finish the game, but the appearance alone already shifted the tournament record book.
Neuer is 40 years old and is back in national team colors after a comeback that had not been part of the original plan. This was his second appearance since returning, and it was enough to separate him from the only other goalkeeper named in the source.
Ecuador and the Next Step
Neuer is expected to make at least one more World Cup appearance against Ecuador. If that happens, the record climbs again; if it does not, 21 remains the number attached to the moment he moved past Lloris.
For Germany, the practical point is simple. The goalkeeper record now belongs to Neuer, and the next group match offers the chance to extend it rather than merely protect it.
