Following Germany’s World Cup exit, Stefan Effenberg is drawing a clear conclusion. Jonas Urbig, currently the number two at FC Bayern, should become the new German number one, according to the former pro.
The national team’s early exit from the World Cup in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico has sparked a debate over personnel—and that debate leads straight to Säbener Straße. In his column for t-online, Stefan Effenberg makes it clear who he wants to see in goal for the DFB going forward.
“In the next international match, Jonas Urbig of FC Bayern must be in goal as Germany’s new number one,” wrote the 57-year-old. For him, a clean break is long overdue after the tournament: “The Manuel Neuer chapter at the DFB should now be closed for good, but a return to 36-year-old Oliver Baumann also makes no sense to me in the long run.”
Effenberg does, however, attach one condition to his demand. “Now it’s Urbig’s turn—if he can build on his strong performances from last season at FC Bayern and get more playing time alongside Neuer,” he emphasized.
For now, Urbig remains the number two at FC Bayern
This is precisely where the hurdle lies for the 22-year-old. At the German record champions, Urbig will continue to play the backup role in the coming season—which is expected to be Manuel Neuer’s last before he retires. This means that ample playing time alongside the established starting goalkeeper is not guaranteed for the time being.
Urbig did, however, get a taste of tournament action in North America. Although he wasn’t an official member of the World Cup squad, he traveled with the DFB delegation as a so-called training goalkeeper.
Neuer’s retirement from the DFB is already official
It is now certain that Neuer’s time in the national team goal is over. The 40-year-old confirmed his retirement once again on ARD following the bitter elimination in the round of 32 against underdog Paraguay. Neuer had actually ended his DFB career after the 2024 European Championship on home soil, but returned for the World Cup with a comeback that was not without controversy.
Baumann, who had been the starting goalkeeper during qualifying, was once again relegated to the bench. The late goalkeeper substitution failed to have the desired effect. The loss to Paraguay marked Neuer’s 128th international match—on the DFB’s all-time list, the 2014 World Cup champion now ranks fifth behind Lothar Matthäus (150), Miroslav Klose (137), Thomas Müller (131), and Lukas Podolski (130).