Manchester United Legend Leads the Charge
It was a tough night for Jude Bellingham at Anfield, where Liverpool handed Real Madrid a 1-0 defeat in the Champions League. Despite their recent struggles, Arne Slot’s side outperformed the most successful team in Champions League history and deserved their victory. Alexis Mac Allister emerged as the hero for Liverpool, scoring the only goal in the 61st minute, while Thibaut Courtois made eight crucial saves to keep the scoreline respectable.
Real Madrid’s star players had an underwhelming performance; Vinicius Junior was effectively contained by the impressive Conor Bradley, and Kylian Mbappé was largely muted. Nevertheless, Bellingham’s night was historic as he became the youngest player to reach 50 Champions League appearances, surpassing the previous record held by Iker Casillas. The question now is: can Bellingham become the Englishman with the most appearances in the tournament?
English Players with the Most Champions League Appearances
Bellingham has played 23 Champions League matches for Borussia Dortmund and his recent appearance against Liverpool marked his 27th outing for Real Madrid. With 50 appearances, he is now tied with Owen Hargreaves in 28th place but remains far from the holder of the record, Paul Scholes. The Manchester United icon played 124 matches for the club, netting 24 goals and winning the tournament twice.
Scholes’ former teammate, Gary Neville, ranks second with 110 appearances. John Terry is third with 109 appearances; however, he holds the record for the most overall minutes played by an Englishman at 9,573. Other notable players in the top ten include Ashley Cole and David Beckham. Currently, only five active players are in the top twenty: Raheem Sterling (8th), Phil Foden (16th), Trent Alexander-Arnold (17th), Harry Kane (18th), and John Stones (19th).
