Gouweleeuw makes history with stunning record at Augsburg

Gouweleeuw became FC Augsburg's all-time appearance leader with 275 Bundesliga matches, surpassing Daniel Baier's previous club record.

Jeffrey Gouweleeuw made history on Saturday when he became the player with the most Bundesliga appearances for FC Augsburg. The defender came off the bench early in the match against Union Berlin to play his 275th top-flight game for the club, breaking the previous record of 274 held by club icon Daniel Baier.

Gouweleeuw joined Augsburg from AZ in early 2016 and has been a cornerstone of the club ever since, rarely missing matches despite suffering a significant injury last season. This season he has returned to regular action, though no longer always as a starter. He also holds the record for most Bundesliga appearances by a Dutch player overall.

The 32-year-old reflected on the achievement: "This was an important personal goal for me. Nowadays it's rare for players to stay at one club for so long. This day, together with friends and family, I will never forget. Augsburg is truly my home." Among his current teammates, only Michael Gregoritsch (143 matches) comes close to challenging the record, though at 32 years old he would need at least four more full seasons to overtake him.