500 Steps to Glory: Baumann Seeks Bundesliga History in Hoffenheim's Goal
21 November 2025
Milestone in the Bundesliga
Oliver Baumann, Hoffenheim’s captain and Germany’s trusted goalkeeper, is set to add a landmark chapter to his storied career tonight as he lines up for his 500th Bundesliga appearance. The clash with Mainz in round 11 marks a milestone rarely reached by players of his generation.
In parallel with this historic moment, the Bundesliga’s official site highlights key moments from a career that has spanned more than 15 years on German soil.
Discipline and Penalty Savvy
Baumann has never been sent off in his lengthy professional journey. He has worn the number 1 shirt for Freiburg and Hoffenheim since the 2011-2012 season, and more recently for Germany as well. He was 19 when he first appeared in the Bundesliga with Freiburg in the 34th round of the 2009-2010 season.
Baumann is renowned as a penalty stopper, saving just over 23 percent of penalties faced across his career. He has faced 76 penalties in total, stopping 18 of them across all competitions. In the Bundesliga, he sits second on the all-time list for penalties saved with 16.
Consistency, Loyalty, and Leadership
Baumann is a Hoffenheim captain and a Freiburg academy graduate who went on to play nearly 150 games for Freiburg before joining Hoffenheim in 2014. He wore Freiburg’s armband in the Bundesliga 12 times and has captained Hoffenheim 169 times. He is affectionately nicknamed “the reliable one,” having started 185 of his first 187 Bundesliga matches for Hoffenheim since joining in the 2014-2015 season.
In 2024-2025 he posted 157 Bundesliga saves, the most by any top-tier German goalkeeper that season. From 2019-2020 through round 11 of 2025-2026, his Bundesliga save total reached 660, with an average of about 110 saves per season—enough to make even the ball want to file a restraining order against him.
International and European Journey
Baumann has 31 European appearances across the Champions League and Europa League. Although he did not debut for Germany until 2024, he has already reached a double-digit cap total. He was 34 when he first represented Germany, 15 years after his Bundesliga debut.
In recent times, Manuel Neuer had been the first-choice goalkeeper for Die Mannschaft, but his international retirement after Euro 2024 opened a shifting landscape. Julian Nagelsmann indicated Marc-André ter Stegen would be the likely starter, though injuries and squad depth have complicated the picture. With Barcelona weighing moves and Ter Stegen’s fitness fluctuating, Baumann remains a potential name for Germany’s World Cup plans if called upon.
Two light-hearted notes to close:
Punchline 1: If goalkeeping were stand-up, Baumann would headline the night—calm, precise, and always landing the punchline on the ball.
Punchline 2: After 500 games, he’s proof you can age like a fine goalkeeper—still saving, still cool, and somehow still the guy attackers wish they'd avoided.
