Manuel Neuer is back with the DFB and will play a role at the 2026 World Cup. The goalkeeper will start the tournament as the number one, which was naturally a disappointment for the goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, who was originally intended to play
Neuer is still recovering from a calf injury, but should be able to return to full fitness soon. Recently, there have been numerous discussions surrounding his retirement
Critics are of the opinion that the decision to retire should have been kept, while other experts are of the opinion that Manuel Neuer is still the best German goalkeeper
Neuer debate: Kimmich now joins in
At the press conference in Herzogenaurach, Joshua Kimmich, Neuer’s team-mate at FC Bayern, spoke about the decision to call up the goalkeeper for the national team again. „From a purely sporting point of view, there’s no discussion. We want to have the best players. Manu is the best goalkeeper of all time. And still one of the best in the world,“ said Kimmich
Kimmich also commented on Oliver Baumann, who should have been in goal: „Of course Oli was disappointed. I would have been disappointed if he hadn’t been disappointed. But he has our 100% support and our 100% trust!“
The only question that remains is: when will Neuer be back to 100%? In the last few days, he has completed a special rehab program, Jonas Urbig, who is also involved as training goalkeeper, took over Neuer’s tasks in training and ensured that all exercises could be carried out as originally planned
Neuer himself is currently completely relaxed, as was the case at an autograph session in Herzogenaurach, where more than 1000 fans waited patiently to get their coveted autograph.
