Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer

Neuer with Germany in 2012
Personal information
Full nameManuel Peter Neuer[1]
Date of birth27 March 1986
Place of birthGelsenkirchen, West Germany
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[2][3]
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Club information
Current team
Bayern Munich
Number1
Youth career
1991–2005Schalke 04
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2004–2008Schalke 04 II26(0)
2006–2011Schalke 04156(0)
2011–Bayern Munich123(0)
National team‡
2004Germany U181(0)
2004–2005Germany U1911(0)
2005–2006Germany U204(0)
2006–2009Germany U2120(0)
2009–Germany58(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:24, 25 April 2015 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17:55, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Manuel Peter Neuer (German pronunciation: [ˈmaːnu̯ɛl ˈnɔʏ.ɐ]; born 27 March 1986) is a German footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bayern Munich and the German national team. He has been described as a "sweeper-keeper"[4] because of his unique playing style and is known for his quick reflexes, excellent shot-stopping abilities, command of his area and accurate distribution of the ball.[5][6][7]

Neuer won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany as well as the Golden Glove award for being the best goalkeeper in the tournament and is considered to be the best goalkeeper in the world.[4][8]

Club career

Schalke 04

Neuer in 2005

Neuer signed professional terms in 2005 after progressing through every age group at his hometown club. He made his Bundesliga debut with Schalke when he came on to substitute the injured Frank Rost on match day two of the 2006–07 season. The 20-year-old eventually won the starting position when Rost was surprisingly dropped for the crunch clash against Bayern Munich. He did not disappoint and managed to secure a 2–2 draw against the defending champions. Despite his young age, he was widely tipped to be a potential successor to his former idol Jens Lehmann in the future for the German national team.[9]

Neuer in 2007

On 5 March 2008, in the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League against FC Porto, he almost single-handedly kept Schalke in the game with several saves and he forced the game into penalties. He then saved penalties from Bruno Alves and Lisandro Lopez to help Schalke advance to the quarter finals. For his heroics, he was shortlisted for the 2007–08 UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year award; he was the youngest as well as the only Bundesliga goalkeeper on the list.[10] He was one of only three Bundesliga players to play every minute in the 2007–08 season.

In the 2008–09 season, Schalke finished eighth in the league table and missed out on a Europa League spot. However, his good showing at the 2009 U-21 European Championships sparked interest from Bayern Munich, with Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge declaring interest in signing the young goalkeeper. Schalke's new manager Felix Magath, however, insisted that Neuer "will play for Schalke next season".[11] In November, he was the only German goalkeeper in the list of five nominated goalkeepers for the UEFA Team of the Year.[12]

For the 2010-11 season, Neuer was appointed captain and led the team to its first Champions League semifinal appearance.[13] He also won the DFB Pokal in his final season with the club, as Schalke defeated MSV Duisburg 5:0.[14] On 20 April 2011, he announced that he would not be extending his contract with Schalke, which was set to expire at the end of the 2011–12 season.[15] He earned criticism by Schalke-fans, who were disappointed with him leaving for a rival club.

Bayern Munich

2011–12

Neuer saving Juan Mata's penalty kick in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final

On 1 June 2011, Schalke and Bayern Munich confirmed that Neuer would move to Bayern Munich in July 2011.[16] Neuer signed a five-year contract that will last until June 2016. The move was worth €22million, making Neuer the second most expensive goalkeeper of all time, only behind Gianluigi Buffon. After hostilities of Bayern fans against Neuer (some fans were unhappy about Bayern buying a Schalke keeper), a round-table discussion between Bayern Munich and group of supporters’ representatives took place on 2 July 2011. Among other things, it was decided that Manuel Neuer will be "regarded as a full member of the FC Bayern Munich team, who should be treated with due respect. Furthermore, hostility towards him should cease".[17] Right in the first weeks at Bayern, after a 0–0 draw with Hoffenheim, Neuer broke the Bayern Munich record for most competitive clean sheets in a row, having gone over 1000 minutes without conceding. He improved the record formerly held by Oliver Kahn.[18]

On 25 April 2012, Neuer saved penalty kicks from both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká and helped Bayern through the UEFA Champions League semifinals against Real Madrid. Following the match, Neuer has revealed that he studied the way Ronaldo took his penalties. Neuer told Bild, "I always prepare myself for such situations. Our goalkeeping coach, Toni Tapalovic, showed me on his laptop before the match how Ronaldo usually takes his penalties. I learned that Ronaldo prefers to send the ball low to his left. In the penalty shoot-out, I was convinced that he would aim for his favourite spot."[19]

He went on to the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final against Chelsea and it also went to a penalty shoot-out. He took and scored the third penalty for Bayern and also saved the first penalty taken by Juan Mata, but he couldn't save the rest of the penalties and Munich lost the trophy 4–3 on penalties in their home stadium, the Allianz Arena.

2012–13 season

In the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League knockout phase, Neuer posted four clean sheets in a row versus both Juventus F.C. and FC Barcelona. In the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final, Neuer posted eight saves en route to Bayern's fifth UEFA Champions League title. The game featured great play from both keepers, and Neuer would end up winning the duel against Roman Weidenfeller having only conceded once to İlkay Gündoğan on a penalty shot.

2013–14 season

For the 2013 UEFA Super Cup, on 30 August 2013, he saved the last and decisive penalty which saw Bayern Munich win the match against Chelsea, taking some revenge for the lost 2012 UEFA Champions League Final. Neuer was announced as the 2013 World Goalkeeper of the year on 7 January 2014.[20] On 9 February, Bayern faced Arsenal in the Champions League knockout phase and Neuer saved the penalty from Mesut Özil in the first half. Bayern went on to win the game 2–0 away. On 2 May 2014, Neuer extended his current contract until the summer of 2019.[21]

2014–15 season

Neuer won the German footballer of the year,[22] was voted into the UEFA Team of the Year,[23] and finished third in the FIFA Ballon d'Or.[24]

On 30 January 2015, Neuer started[25] on matchday 18 where Bayern lost to VfL Wolfsburg 4–1.[26] This is the first league match since joining Bayern in 2011 where he has given up four goals in a match. The last time Bayern had given four goals in a match was against Wolfsburg on 4 April 2009.[26]

On 28 April 2015, Neuer was one of four Bayern players to miss in a 2–0 penalty shootout defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal semi-final.[27]

International career

Youth

After progressing through the youth teams, Neuer made his U-21 debut on 15 August 2006 against the Netherlands. He won the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship with the Germany national under-21 football team in Sweden and kept a clean sheet in the 4–0 win in the final against England.

2010 World Cup

Neuer was called up on 19 May 2009 to the senior German squad for a tour of Asia.[28] He made his debut on this tour in a match against United Arab Emirates on 2 June.[29] He played in the November friendly against Côte d'Ivoire that ended 2–2. Although he took responsibility for the first goal conceded, manager Joachim Löw refused to blame him and instead commended him for doing his best.[30]

Neuer playing for Germany in 2011

The death of keeper Robert Enke in November 2009 saw him elevated as the second choice goalkeeper under René Adler. However, Adler suffered a serious rib injury which ruled him out of the World Cup. Neuer became Germany's first choice goalkeeper ahead of Tim Wiese and Hans-Jörg Butt for the upcoming tournament.[31]

Neuer was selected as Germany's number one goalkeeper for the World Cup in South Africa.[32] During the group stages, he only conceded a single goal, a close range shot by Milan Jovanović in the match against Serbia. He provided the assist for Miroslav Klose's opening goal against England, winning 4–1. He played in all of Germany's World Cup matches apart from the third-place game against Uruguay, when Hans-Jörg Butt was rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup.[33]

Euro 2012

He played every minute of every match in the qualification campaign for Euro 2012, helping Germany to secure ten wins out of ten games and top their group. After Germany's 3–1 away win against Turkey he was especially praised for his "sensational" performance. He retained a close range volley shot by Hamit Altıntop, and then he quickly threw the ball to the halfway line into the feet of Thomas Müller, who immediately provided the assist for Mario Gómez's opening goal. Neuer then set up the second goal; under pressure by Turkish attackers, he fired a precise long range kick to Mario Götze deep in the opponent's half, and found Thomas Müller on the edge of the opponent's penalty box to score.[34] He started all three of Germany's matches in the oft-dubbed, "Group of Death". He kept a clean sheet against Portugal while also conceding one goal each to the Netherlands and Denmark. Germany went on to win Group B, being the only team in the tournament to win all of their group stage games. He finished group play posting two saves against Portugal, three against the Netherlands, and three again against Denmark.

2014 FIFA World Cup

Neuer training at 2014 FIFA World Cup

Neuer's "sweeper-keeper" playing style distinguished him from other starting goalkeepers in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This was credited with allowing his teammates to press deep in their opponents' half, plus Neuer's willingness to come out and challenge opposing attackers caused them to miss shots on net.[35] Neuer's outfield roaming which had made him the team's "11th man" has been attributed to the coaching he received from Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola.[36]

After keeping clean sheets in group matches against Portugal and the United States, Neuer recorded his third clean sheet of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in the 1–0 quarter-final defeat of France. This was his 22nd clean sheet overall in his 50th appearance for die Nationalmannschaft.[37] In the semi-finals, Neuer conceded a late goal as his team routed hosts Brazil 7–1.

On 13 July, in the FIFA World Cup Final against Argentina, Neuer was not heavily tested but he commanded his penalty area well, challenging attacking runs by Gonzalo Higuaín and Rodrigo Palacio that caused them to shoot wide of the net (ending up Argentina finished without a shot on goal despite several good chances).[35] Early in the second half, Neuer punched the ball clear before colliding with Higuaín at the edge of the box.[38] Germany defeated Argentina 1–0 thanks to a Mario Götze goal in extra time. Neuer personally won the Golden Glove award for the tournament's best goalkeeper.[39]

Personal life

Neuer was born in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He attended Gesamtschule Berger Feld, like many other notable footballers, such as Mesut Özil. His brother Marcel is currently a football referee in the Verbandsliga.[40] He got his first football when he was two. He had his first game on 3 March 1991, 24 days before his fifth birthday.[41] Neuer's hero and idol as a child was fellow German and former Schalke goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.[42]

Neuer is a Catholic, and lends his support to a Gelsenkirchen-based Catholic social action group which campaigns against child poverty as well as a Gelsenkirchen-based youth club run by the Amigonians.[43]

Neuer started a charity foundation for children, named the Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation.[44] In November 2011, he won €500,000 for charity in a celebrity edition of Wer wird Millionär?, the German version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?[45]

Neuer did the voiceover for character Frank McCay in the German version of the 2013 Disney animation Monsters University.[46]

Career statistics

Club

As of 28 April 2015
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total Ref.
Club League Season Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Germany League DFB-Pokal DFB-Ligapokal Europe1 Other2 Total
Schalke 04 II Regionalliga Nord 2003–04 1 0 — 1 0 [47]
Oberliga Westfalen 2004–05
Schalke 04 Bundesliga 2005–06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 [48]
2006–07 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 0 [49]
2007–08 34 0 3 0 3 0 10 0 50 0 [50][51]
Schalke 04 II Regionalliga West 2008–09 1 0 — 1 0 [52]
Schalke 04 Bundesliga 2008–09 27 0 2 0 — 5 0 — 34 0 [52]
2009–10 34 0 5 0 — 39 0 [53]
2010–11 34 0 6 0 12 0 1 0 53 0 [54][55]
Schalke 04 totals 156 0 16 0 3 0 27 0 1 0 203 0 —
Schalke 04 II totals 2 0 — 2 0 —
Bayern Munich Bundesliga 2011–12 33 0 5 0 — 14 0 — 52 0 [56]
2012–13 31 0 5 0 13 0 1 0 50 0 [57][58]
2013–14 31 0 5 0 12 0 4 0 52 0 [59][60][61]
[62][63]
2014–15 28 0 5 0 10 0 1 0 44 0 [64]
Bayern Munich totals 123 0 20 0 — 49 0 6 0 198 0 —
Career totals 281 0 36 0 3 0 76 0 7 0 403 0 —

Honours

Club

Schalke 04[65]
Bayern Munich[65]

International

Germany[65][66]

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 7 December 2013. p. 5. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Manuel Neuer" (in German). Manuel Neuer. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Manuel Neuer - FC Bayern München AG". FC Bayern Munich. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Teng, Elaine (10 July 2014). "Tim Howard Is Great, But I'll Take Manuel Neuer Any Day". New Republic. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "Manuel Neuer". ESPN FC. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  6. ↑ Early, Ken (8 July 2014). "Manuel Neuer cleans up by being more than a sweeper". Irish Times. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Dawson, Alan (9 July 2014). "Michael Owen: Manuel Neuer is best in his position". HITC Sport. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Ballon d'Or contender Neuer is the best goalkeeper since Yashin". Goal.com.
  9. ↑ "Neuer good news for Germany". FIFA.com. 14 February 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year". uefa.com. 22 August 2008.
  11. ↑ "Rummenigge talks Neuer interest". FIFA.com. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  12. ↑ "Neuer nominated for UEFA Team of the Year". Schalke04.com. 7 December 2009.
  13. ↑ "Schalke beat European champs Inter, again, for semi-final spot". DW.de. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  14. ↑ "Schalke triumphiert im Finale". 21 May 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  15. ↑ "Neuer turns down Schalke deal". ESPN Soccernet. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  16. ↑ "Schalke give green light to Neuer's Bayern move". FC Schalke 04. 2 June 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  17. ↑ "FCB and fans condemn anti-Neuer protest". FC Bayern Munich. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  18. ↑ Schäling, Ben (4 October 2011). "Kahn: Gegentor wie Erlösung" (in German). Augsburger Allgemeine. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  19. ↑ "Neuer: I knew how Cristiano Ronaldo would take his penalty". Goal.com. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  20. ↑ "Bayerns Manuel Neuer zum Welttorhüter gewählt". Die Welt (in German). 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  21. ↑ "Neuer extends stay at FCB through 2019". FC Bayern Munich. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Manuel Neuer named German Footballer of the Year". Deutsche Welle. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Bayern dominate UEFA Team of the Year poll". Deutsche Welle. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Cristiano Ronaldo wins Ballon d’Or over Lionel Messi & Manuel Neuer". BBC Sport. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  25. ↑ "Dost und De Bruyne lassen an 2009 erinnern". kicker (in German). 30 January 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Die Bayern kassieren eine krachende Niederlage" (in German). Die Welt. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  27. ↑ "Bayern Munich 1-1 Borussia Dortmund". BBC. 29 April 2015.
  28. ↑ "Löw nominiert Neuer, Träsch, Gentner und Cacau". DFB.de. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  29. ↑ "Gomez ist wieder da – Neuer überzeugt voll und ganz". kicker.de. 2 June 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  30. ↑ "Neuers schwerer Patzer bleibt ohne Folgen" (in German). Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung. 30 November 2009.
  31. ↑ "Lahm to Skipper Germany at World Cup; Neuer is Keeper". Sify News. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  32. ↑ "Manuel Neuer". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  33. ↑ "Germany beat Uruguay to win bronze". Ghana Sports – Soccer News. GhanaWeb. 10 July 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  34. ↑ "Manuel Neuer begeistert sogar seine Gegner". welt.de. 8 October 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Why Manuel Neuer was the best player at the 2014 World Cup". The Score. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  36. ↑ Vipond, Paddy (16 July 2014). "How Manuel Neuer, Germany's 11th man, is revolutionising goalkeeping". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  37. ↑ "Milestone man Manuel excels against France". FC Bayern Munich. 5 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  38. ↑ Kent, David (13 July 2014). "Manuel Neuer clatters into Gonzalo Higuain in World Cup final... provoking memories of Harald Schumacher on Patrick Battiston". dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  39. ↑ "World Cup 2014: Fifa announces Golden Ball shortlist". BBC. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  40. ↑ "Der eine ist Schiedsrichter, der andere kickt bei Heßler 06" (in German). reviersport.de. 18 June 2007. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  41. ↑ "Steckbrief" (in German). manuel-neuer.com. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  42. ↑ "Neuer – so gut wie sein Idol Lehmann" (in German). RP-Online.de. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  43. ↑ "Hoffen auf göttlichen Beistand" (in German). Paulinus.de. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  44. ↑ "Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation" (in German). neuer-kids-foundation.de. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  45. ↑ Lewis, Darren (18 May 2012). "Screen test: Stopping Drogba's easier than being on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire says Bayern star". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  46. ↑ Kent, David (9 May 2014). "Manuel Neuer reveals all about his love for U2, winning and losing the Champions League final and quizzes". Mail Online. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  47. ↑ "Manuel Neuer" (in German). Fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  48. ↑ "Neuer, Manuel". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  49. ↑ "Neuer, Manuel". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  50. ↑ "Neuer, Manuel". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  51. ↑ "Manuel Neuer" (in German). Fussballdaten. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 "Neuer, Manuel". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  53. ↑ "Neuer, Manuel". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  54. ↑ "Neuer, Manuel". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  55. ↑ "WM-Helden Müller und Klose treffen" (in German). kicker. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  56. ↑ "Neuer, Manuel". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  57. ↑ "Neuer, Manuel". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  58. ↑ "Die Bayern holen den ersten Titel der Saison" (in German). kicker. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  59. ↑ "Neuer, Manuel". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  60. ↑ "Reus eröffnet und beendet den Torreigen" (in German). kicker. 27 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  61. ↑ "Neuer hält den Supercup fest" (in German). 30 August 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  62. ↑ "Bayern im Finale - Guangzhou kein Prüfstein" (in German). kicker. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  63. ↑ "FCB holt sich den fünften Titel" (in German). kicker. 21 December 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  64. ↑ "Manuel Neuer" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 65.2 "Manuel Neuer" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  66. ↑ Gartenschläger, Lars (6 June 2013). "Khedira, Özil, Neuer – Aufstieg der Euro-Helden" (in German). welt.de. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  67. ↑ "Ausgezeichnet! Diese Jungstars holten Gold" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  68. ↑ "DFB-Elf erhält Silbernes Lorbeerblatt". Rheinische Post (in German). Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  69. ↑ "Manuel Neuer ist "Fußballer des Jahres"" (in German). kicker.de. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  70. ↑ "Eén landgenoot in ESM Elftal van het Seizoen" (in Dutch). ElfVoetbal.nl. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  71. ↑ "ESM-Top-11: Nur Torres und Ivanovic durchbrechen Bundesliga-Phalanx" (in German). kicker.de. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  72. ↑ "Bayerns Manuel Neuer zum Welttorhüter gewählt" (in German). Die Welt. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  73. ↑ "FIFA/FIFPro World XI" (in German). FIFA.com. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  74. ↑ "FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2014". FIFA.com. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  75. ↑ "UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2013 revealed". UEFA.com. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  76. ↑ "Awards". FIFA.com. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  77. ↑ "Castrol Index Top 11". FIFA.com. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  78. ↑ "Dream Team". FIFA.com. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  79. ↑ Nikcevic, Sonja (27 December 2014). "Neuer, L'Équipe's player of the year in 2014". marca.com. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  80. ↑ Nikcevic, Sonja (29 December 2014). "Neuer, Williams AIPS Best Athletes, Germany Best Team in 2014". aipsmedia.com. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  81. ↑ "Renaud Lavillenie élu Champion des Champions Monde" (in French). lequipe.fr. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manuel Neuer.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Heiko Westermann		 Schalke 04 captain
2010–2011 		Succeeded by
Benedikt Höwedes