The new German soccer rankings are out—and from FC Bayern’s perspective, they hold a remarkable surprise. In *kicker*’s goalkeeper rankings, Jonas Urbig is ranked higher than club legend Manuel Neuer.
Traditionally, *kicker* publishes its German soccer rankings after every half-season. In these rankings, the trade magazine evaluates the performances of Bundesliga pros and classifies them into the categories of World Class, International Class, and National Class.
As usual, the goalkeeper rankings kick things off. From FC Bayern’s perspective, two goalkeepers are in the spotlight: Manuel Neuer and Jonas Urbig.
Urbig makes the leap into the “International Class”
A notable feature of the current issue: No Bundesliga goalkeeper made it into the highest category, “World Class.” This used to be a regular occurrence, especially during Manuel Neuer’s heyday.
Instead, the rankings are led by Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who tops the “International Class” category. He is followed by Noah Atubolu of SC Freiburg and Daniel Heuer Fernandes of Hamburger SV.
Surprisingly, *kicker* ranks Jonas Urbig fourth. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper is thus the last goalkeeper still classified as “International Class”—and at the same time the highest-ranked player from the record-holding champions.
Neuer lands only in tenth place
The assessment for Manuel Neuer is significantly more reserved. The longtime Bayern captain occupies only tenth place in the current rankings, placing him behind several Bundesliga rivals.
According to *kicker*, those ranked ahead of Neuer include Mio Backhaus, Moritz Nicolas, Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nübel, and Daniel Batz. Marten Vandevoordt rounds out the ranking in eleventh place.
For Jonas Urbig, this ranking should provide an extra boost of confidence. The 22-year-old is expected to see significantly more playing time at FC Bayern next season and will be gradually groomed for the role of future number one. By the summer of 2027 at the latest, Urbig is considered a promising candidate within the club to succeed Manuel Neuer.
The current *kicker* ranking thus also shows that the generational shift in Bayern’s goal has long since begun—even though Manuel Neuer remains one of the most experienced and influential figures on Vincent Kompany’s roster.