Rudi Völler has injected new dynamism into the German national team’s goalkeeping debate. The DFB sporting director demonstratively backed Oliver Baumann, but at the same time left a small back door open for a possible comeback for Manuel Neuer
In an interview with Sky, Völler first made it unmistakably clear that Baumann is currently the DFB’s number one goalkeeper: „In Oliver Baumann, we now have an absolute top goalkeeper who has totally earned it,“ explained the 66-year-old
The Hoffenheim man had played a strong season and was a reliable back-up, so Völler emphasized: „We should trust him.“
Neuer remains a special case
Despite this clear positioning, Völler did not want to close the chapter on Manuel Neuer completely. The long-serving Bayern captain is „the best goalkeeper the planet has seen in the last 50 years“, said the DFB official
When asked whether Neuer would definitely no longer play a role at the upcoming World Cup, Völler replied tellingly: „Normally not.“
A formulation that leaves room for interpretation
Comeback currently unlikely
The fact is: Neuer announced his retirement from the national team after the 2024 European Championships at home and has not yet indicated any ambitions to return
National team coach Julian Nagelsmann had also recently made it clear that a comeback was currently not an option
Nevertheless, Völler’s statement shows that nothing is ever final in soccer. Should an exceptional situation arise, such as an injury to Baumann just before the tournament, a surprise comeback for the 40-year-old does not seem completely out of the question
At the moment, however, Oliver Baumann is the number one – and Manuel Neuer remains only a theoretical option in the background for the time being.