At FC Bayern, there’s hardly any doubt about Jonas Urbig. President Herbert Hainer is clearly backing the 23-year-old and sees him on a clear path forward.
Jonas Urbig is expected to eventually succeed Manuel Neuer at FC Bayern. While there has recently been public debate about whether the 23-year-old already possesses the qualities needed to be the permanent number one, the stance of the Munich leadership is clear.
Bayern President Herbert Hainer made it clear in an interview with Sport BILD that the club thinks highly of Urbig.
“Jonas Urbig came to us as a very young goalkeeper from the 2nd Division and has since established himself as FC Bayern’s future number one and has already made his first international appearances,” said Hainer.
For the 72-year-old, the former Cologne player’s development is also a testament to the sporting leadership. “The task of finding a successor to a multiple World Goalkeeper of the Year is an enormous one—and it has been and continues to be handled very well. Our sporting management deserves a great deal of credit for this development.”
Hainer sees Urbig as having exactly the right profile for Bayern
Hainer is particularly clear when asked whether Urbig has the necessary qualities for a long-term role in Munich’s goal: “He brings exactly the right mix that FC Bayern needs: talent, personality, and the determination to keep learning every day. Jonas Urbig already exudes remarkable calm and composure and has proven himself in big games. We all have very high hopes for him in the future.”
With this, Hainer clearly stands behind the path the club has chosen with Urbig. The goalkeeper is set to become the new number one following the planned end of the Neuer era and is already being specifically prepared for this role.
The fact that there are also critical voices is apparently part of the development process for Bayern. Oliver Kahn recently expressed doubts as to whether Urbig actually has what it takes to be the number one in Munich in the long term. Dietmar Hamann also urged caution amid the hype surrounding the young goalkeeper.
The Bayern bosses themselves don’t seem to be deterred by this. Urbig has made significant strides in recent months, not only at the club level but also with the national team. In his first two international matches against Serbia and Greece, he kept a clean sheet in both games.
He has also impressed Bayern Munich on multiple occasions with his composure, quick reflexes, and a confidence that’s remarkable for his age. It is precisely these qualities that Hainer is now explicitly highlighting.
For the president, it is therefore clear: Urbig is not just supposed to be an option for the Bayern goal at some point in the future. From the club’s perspective, he is already on his way to becoming the next number one.