Manuel Neuer once again impressively proved that he is still a world-class player at the age of 40 in Bayern’s 2-1 away win against Real Madrid. The Bayern captain was the decisive factor at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu and made several outstanding saves to secure an excellent starting position for the second leg at the Allianz Arena
Despite his gala performance, Neuer did not want to talk about a possible return to the German national team. When asked about a World Cup comeback, the shot-stopper responded clearly: „We don’t need to bring up the subject at all. I’ve said my piece. I’m concentrating on FC Bayern.“
The veteran thus made it unmistakably clear that his focus is entirely on the upcoming tasks with the German record champions
Neuer excels in Madrid – experts go into raptures
On the pitch, Neuer put in a performance that amazed even experienced observers. He saved Bayern from conceding goals on several occasions, reacting with impressive calm and class when Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior had chances. He was only powerless when Mbappé scored the equalizer
The strong performance did not go unnoticed by the TV pundits, with Chris Kramer continuing to describe the Bayern captain as „the best goalkeeper in the world“ on Prime Video and even bringing a World Cup appearance into play
Mats Hummels was even clearer, lavishing praise on his former national team colleague: „The way he kept today was perfect, we don’t need to talk about it. World class, 1 with an asterisk. The two chances against Mbappé, but especially how he defended against Vini Jr. That’s exactly what we said: he’s clever, he’s so clever in goal, regardless of physical ability, he just knows what he has to do and when, and that’s simply the most impressive thing about him.“
Future still open – Dreesen praises Neuer as the „X-factor“
Neuer himself was also satisfied after the game, but looked straight ahead: „It was an important day, an important game for me.“ At the same time, he warned of the second leg: „It’s a shame it wasn’t 2-0, but you know how dangerous Real Madrid are. It will be a tough and difficult task in Munich.“
Off the pitch, the goalkeeper’s future remains an issue. His contract expires in the summer and a decision on a possible extension has yet to be made. Neuer himself let it be known that he is currently under no pressure: „It’s fun with the players in the team, with the coaching team, anything is possible, which is why I’m still involved despite being 40.“
Physical factors also play a role in this. Two muscle injuries to his calf had recently influenced his original plans. „Many factors play a role, including how my health is,“ explained Neuer and emphasized: „We have all the time in the world, the club and I. We are relaxed.“
The keeper also received great recognition from Bayern boss Jan-Christian Dreesen, who singled him out for special praise during the banquet speech: „We had our X-factor, our forty, our world-class goalkeeper. Manuel, you were exceptional today.“
The performance at the Bernabéu is likely to fuel the discussion about Neuer’s future, but one thing is already clear: as long as he continues to perform like this, the Bayern captain will remain a decisive factor at the highest level.