After a skiing accident that resulted in a broken lower leg, the goalie will be out for six months. The situation is more problematic for Neuer’s employer Bayern Munich than for the German national team.
Involuntary grandstand guest: Manuel Neuer will also be absent from Bayern injured in the near future.
What is a goalkeeper’s greatest strength? Reflexes, bounce, positional play? All well and good, but what’s a keeper without a balanced mind?
Perhaps nobody will deny that Manuel Neuer is an exceptional goalkeeper. His mental state also and above all contributes to this. Neuer is usually unperturbed by anything, and anyone who needs proof of this just has to take a look at a photo that has been circulating since this weekend. It shows Neuer in a hospital bed. The left thumb points steeply upwards. Everything okay – seems to want to signal Neuer.
Neuer takes the risk – ihe injury is serious
Neuer had broken his lower leg on a ski tour at the weekend. The message that made the rounds in no time at all was: “Season off for Manuel Neuer.” As sober as the message sounds, it is as serious: The season lasts until the end of May, Neuer will miss his employer Bayern Munich – and the German national team – for almost half a year. And it is questionable whether the severity of the injury makes one think of a return in the foreseeable future.
The circumstances of the incident provoke questions. Neuer explained: “While I wanted to clear my head while ski touring, I broke my lower leg.” A ski tour: The German national goalkeeper takes risks in his free time. Now quite a few are asking the question: was he even allowed to practice such a sport?
The contracts of some professional footballers contain corresponding clauses that prohibit risky activities. The “Bild” newspaper claims to have found out that Neuer’s contract does not contain such a clause. However, some of his professional colleagues are more cautious: Neuer’s former team-mate Arjen Robben avoided the ski slopes during his time at Bayern.
The reactions are unanimous. At Bayern, CEO Oliver Kahn and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic complained about the injury, as did national coach Hansi Flick. It should be clear to all of you what nobody wants to say openly: whether a further career is even to be considered. Especially since Neuer has been plagued by injuries, some of them serious, in recent years. He paused twice for months due to metatarsal injuries, but his comeback in 2020 with the Champions League victory showed him better than ever.
In this respect, the hope is justified that Neuer could join Bayern and the national team again. However, it would be surprising if precautions were not already taken behind the scenes for the opposite case. Neuer will be 37 in March. Bayern have a very capable deputy in Sven Ulreich, but he’s not one for the very highest level.
Will Alexander Nübel come back to Bayern?
Some people may secretly think of Alexander Nübel. Bayern signed him from FC Schalke in 2020. Nübel had speculated on playing alongside Neuer. And maybe it was precisely this competitive relationship that drove Neuer to top performance again, which is why there was no getting around for Nübel. Meanwhile, Bayern have loaned Nübel, he currently plays for AS Monaco and is doing well there.
For the national team, the situation is less problematic. In FC Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen, a top man is just waiting for a better chance. And Neuer’s absence opens up opportunities for the national coach: because Hansi Flick will have to part with some well-deserved staff after the disappointing World Cup in Qatar, and sooner or later he will also have to set up a new captain. The current one is Manuel Neuer, and his insistence that the team should make a political statement at the World Cup has divided the team in Qatar rather than united it.