The injury concerns surrounding Manuel Neuer just won’t go away. During FC Bayern’s 2-1 away win against Mainz 05, the 40-year-old was once again forced to leave the field early. His right foot is causing him problems again. Now, an examination by a specialist is expected to clarify just how serious this latest injury actually is.
Neuer had only celebrated his comeback a few days earlier in the Champions League victory against Atlético Madrid. After his return, however, the Bayern captain admitted that he had still been feeling pain right up until match day. In Mainz, he suffered his next setback.
What makes it particularly bitter: The injury occurred, of all things, during a play in which Neuer wasn’t exactly making a good impression anyway. In the 40th minute, the goalkeeper misjudged a free-kick cross that Jonathan Tah had slightly deflected. Jae-Sung Lee then headed in what would have been the equalizer. The goal was disallowed after a VAR review lasting several minutes due to an offside call. For Neuer, however, the game was over.
Neuer has his foot examined
According to kicker, Neuer is scheduled to see a specialist later on Sunday. The goal is to determine the exact cause of his ongoing foot problems.
According to reports, the Bayern captain sustained the recurrence of his injury while jumping. He had to receive treatment on the field before Jonas Urbig came on as a substitute for him.
Sports director Max Eberl confirmed after the match that his right foot was once again affected.
At least there were no obvious signs of a serious injury at first. Neuer was able to leave the stadium after the game without any apparent limitations.
However, it remains to be seen whether the 40-year-old has indeed gotten off lightly.
The upcoming international break could work in Bayern’s favor. If the injury turns out to be less serious, Neuer would have plenty of time to recover.
Injury record raises questions
Regardless of the diagnosis, the veteran’s increasing susceptibility to injury is becoming an ever-greater concern.
According to kicker, Neuer has already had to be substituted due to injury four times during competitive matches in the 2026 calendar year. All four incidents occurred in the Bundesliga. There had never been such a cluster of injuries in his career before. Previously, he had been substituted due to injury no more than twice in a calendar year.
On top of that, Neuer had already missed five competitive matches due to his recent foot problems.
This raises the question of just how resilient the longtime Bayern captain still is.
With Jonas Urbig, the Munich team does, at least, have a reliable backup. The 23-year-old has proven several times this season that he can step in on short notice and perform at a high level.
In any case, Urbig is considered the designated successor to the former national team goalkeeper. This coming summer, the generational shift in Bayern’s goal could finally be complete.
For Neuer himself, the main priority is likely to be finishing what may be his last season with the German record champions as healthy as possible. Whether he succeeds in doing so now also depends on the results of the upcoming examination.