Manuel Peter Neuer (; born 27 March 1986) is a German professional
footballer who plays as a
goalkeeper and
captains both club
Bayern Munich and the
Germany national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the sport. Neuer has been described as a "
sweeper-keeper" because of his playing style and speed when rushing off his line to anticipate opponents, going out of the goalkeeper box.
He was named the best goalkeeper of the decade from 2011 to 2020 by
IFFHS.
Neuer started his career at
Schalke 04 where he won the
DFB-Pokal and
DFL-Ligapokal. In 2011, he signed for Bayern Munich and has since won 28 trophies, including ten
Bundesliga titles and two
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
titles in 2013 and 2020, both as part of
trebles. In 2014, Neuer finished third in the voting for the
FIFA Ballon d'Or award behind
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
and
Cristiano Ronaldo. He was awarded the
UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year and the
IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper five times each.
Neuer was selected as Germany's number one goalkeeper for the
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
in South Africa.
During the group stages, he only conceded a single goal. He provided the assist for
Miroslav Klose's opening goal against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
as Germany won 4–1. Four years later, Neuer won the
2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany as well as the
Golden Glove award for being the best goalkeeper in the tournament.
Club career
Schalke 04

Neuer played for
Schalke 04 II
FC Schalke 04 II are the reserve team of German association football club FC Schalke 04. Until 2005 the team played as FC Schalke 04 Amateure.
The team has qualified for the first round of the DFB-Pokal, the German Cup, on two occasions. They ...
during
2003–04,
2004–05, 2006–07,
2007–08 and
2008–09.
Neuer progressed through every age group at his hometown club,
Schalke 04, and signed professional terms in 2005. Neuer did not make any first team appearances during the
2005–06 season.
However, he was on the bench several times and won the
2005 DFL-Ligapokal as an unused substitute. He made his Bundesliga debut with Schalke when he came on as a substitute for the injured
Frank Rost
Frank Rost (born 30 June 1973) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He comes from a sporting family background; his father Peter won a gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in handball, and his mother Christ ...
on matchday 2 of the
2006–07 season. The 20-year-old eventually won the starting position when Rost was surprisingly dropped for the clash against
Bayern Munich. Neuer managed to secure a 2–2 draw against the defending champions. He made 27 league appearances during the
2006–07 season.
Despite his young age, he was widely tipped to be a potential successor to his former idol
Jens Lehmann in the future for the German national team.

Neuer started the
2007–08 season by playing in three matches in the German League Cup.
On 5 March 2008, in the first knockout round of the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
against
Porto, he almost single-handedly kept Schalke in the game with several saves, forcing the game into
penalties
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* P ...
. He then saved penalties from
Bruno Alves and
Lisandro López to help Schalke advance to the quarter-finals. He was shortlisted for the 2007–08
UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year award; he was the youngest as well as the only Bundesliga goalkeeper on the list. He was one of only three Bundesliga players to play every minute in the
2007–08 season. He finished the season by making 50 appearances in all competitions.
In the
2008–09 season, Schalke finished eighth in the league table and missed out on a
Europa League spot. However, his showing at the
2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
The 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship began on 15 June 2009, and was the 17th UEFA European Under-21 Championship. This was the first tournament after the competition reverted to a two-year format, following the single-year 2006–07 compe ...
sparked interest from Bayern Munich, with Bayern chairman
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge declaring interest in signing the young goalkeeper. Schalke's new manager
Felix Magath, however, insisted that Neuer would play for Schalke in the next season. In November, he was the only German goalkeeper in the list of five nominated goalkeepers for the
UEFA Team of the Year.
Neuer finished the
2009–10 season with 39 appearances.
For the
2010–11 season, Neuer was appointed captain and led the team to its first
Champions League semi-final appearance to play against
Manchester United. He also won the
DFB-Pokal in his final season with the club, as Schalke defeated
MSV Duisburg 5–0. On 20 April 2011, he announced that he would not be extending his contract with Schalke, which was set to expire at the end of the 2011–12 season. He received criticism from Schalke fans, who were disappointed with him leaving for a rival club. Neuer finished the season with 53 appearances.
Bayern Munich
2011–13: Transfer and treble winner

On 1 June 2011, Neuer made his move to Bayern Munich and signed a five-year contract that lasted until June 2016. Following initial hostility from Bayern fans towards Neuer, as some fans were unhappy about Bayern buying a Schalke keeper, a round-table discussion between Bayern and group of supporters' representatives took place on 2 July 2011. Among other things, it was decided that Neuer would be regarded as a full member of Bayern Munich, who should be treated with due respect. Furthermore, hostility towards him should cease. In the first weeks at Bayern, after a 0–0 draw with
1899 Hoffenheim
Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V., or simply TSG 1899 Hoffenheim or just Hoffenheim () is a German professional football club based in Hoffenheim, a village of Sinsheim municipality, Baden-Württemberg.
Originally founded in 1899 ...
, Neuer broke the Bayern Munich record for most competitive clean sheets in a row, having gone over 1,000 minutes without conceding, beating the record formerly held by
Oliver Kahn.
On 25 April 2012, Neuer saved penalty kicks from both
Cristiano Ronaldo and
Kaká and helped Bayern through the
2011–12 Champions League semi-finals against
Real Madrid. Following the match, Neuer revealed that he studied the way Ronaldo took his penalties. Neuer told Bild: "I always prepare myself for such situations. Our goalkeeping coach, Toni Tapalović, showed me on his laptop before the match how Ronaldo usually takes his penalties. I learned that Ronaldo prefers to send the ball low to his left. In the penalty shoot-out, I was convinced that he would aim for his favourite spot."
Bayern went on to progress to the
2012 UEFA Champions League Final against
Chelsea, which also went to a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw. Neuer took and scored the third penalty for Bayern and also saved the first penalty taken by
Juan Mata, but could not save the rest of the penalties as Munich lost the trophy 4–3 on penalties in their home stadium, the
Allianz Arena. Neuer finished the season with 53 appearances.
Neuer started the season by winning the
2012 DFL-Supercup
The 2012 DFL-Supercup was the third DFL-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. It took place on 12 August 2012 at the Allianz Arena. The match featured Borussia ...
.
In the
2012–13 UEFA Champions League knockout phase, Neuer posted four clean sheets in a row versus both
Juventus and
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...
. In the
2013 Champions League Final against
Borussia Dortmund, Neuer posted eight saves en route to Bayern's fifth Champions League title. The game featured several saves from both keepers, and Neuer won the duel against
Roman Weidenfeller having only conceded once to
İlkay Gündoğan on a penalty shot. Neuer finished the season with 31 Bundesliga appearances,
five German Cup appearances,
13 UEFA Champions League appearances,
and a German Super Cup appearance.
2013–16: Ballon d'Or nomination, domestic success
Neuer started the season by losing in the
2013 DFL-Supercup
The 2013 DFL-Supercup was the fourth DFL-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. It featured Bayern Munich, winners of the 2012–13 Bundesliga and the 2012–1 ...
to Borussia Dortmund.
For the
2013 UEFA Super Cup, on 30 August 2013, he saved the last and decisive penalty which saw Bayern Munich win the match against Chelsea, taking some revenge for the lost 2012 UEFA Champions League final.
In the
FIFA Club World Cup, Neuer played against
Guangzhou Evergrande in the semi-final
and
Raja Casablanca in the final.
Neuer was announced as the 2013 World Goalkeeper of The Year on 7 January 2014. On 9 February, Bayern faced
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the
Champions League knockout phase and Neuer saved the penalty from
Mesut Özil in the first half. Bayern went on to win the game 2–0 away. On 2 May 2014, Neuer extended his contract until the summer of 2019. Neuer finished the season with 31 Bundesliga appearances,
five German Cup appearances,
12 UEFA Champions League appearances,
one German Super Cup appearance,
one UEFA Super Cup appearance,
and two FIFA Club World Cup appearances
for a total of 52 appearances.
Neuer won the
Footballer of the Year (Germany) prize,
was voted into the UEFA Team of the Year,
and finished third in the
FIFA Ballon d'Or.
Neuer started the season by losing the
2014 DFL-Supercup
The 2014 DFL-Supercup was the fifth edition of the German Super Cup under the name DFL-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. It featured FC Bayern Munich, Bayern ...
to Borussia Dortmund.
On 30 January 2015, Neuer started on matchday 18, where Bayern lost to
VfL Wolfsburg 4–1.
This was the first league match since joining Bayern in 2011 where he had given up four goals in a match. The last time Bayern had conceded four goals in a match was against Wolfsburg on 4 April 2009.
On 28 April 2015, Neuer was one of four Bayern players to miss in a 2–0 penalty shootout defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the
DFB-Pokal semi-final. Neuer finished the season with 32 Bundesliga appearances,
five German Cup appearances,
12 UEFA Champions League appearances,
and one German Super Cup appearance
for a total of 50 appearances.
The
2015-16 season started when Neuer started in the 1–1 draw against VfL Wolfsburg in the
2015 DFL-Supercup
The 2015 DFL-Supercup was the sixth edition of the German Super Cup under the name DFL-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. It featured FC Bayern Munich, Bayern ...
.
Wolfsburg won the subsequent shootout.
On 20 April 2016, Neuer extended his contract with Bayern until 2021. Neuer finished the season with 34 Bundesliga appearances,
five German Cup appearances,
11 UEFA Champions League appearances,
and one German Supercup Cup appearance
for a total of 51 appearances.
2016–20: Club captain and second treble
Neuer's season began with a 2–0 win over Borussia Dortmund at the
2016 DFL-Supercup
The 2016 DFL-Supercup was the seventh edition of the German Super Cup under the name DFL-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. The match was played on 14 August ...
as FC Bayern won the title for the first time in three years, and he kept a clean sheet in the Bundesliga opener as FC Bayern grabbed a 6–0 win over
Werder Bremen. In January 2017, he was voted into the FIFA Team of the Year alongside fellow German and former Bayern teammate
Toni Kroos. Neuer conceded twice in FC Bayern's matches against Arsenal as the Bavarians beat the English team with an impressive 10–2 aggregate in the round of 16 of the
2016–17 UEFA Champions League. Neuer was then praised for his performance in their first game of the quarterfinals against Real Madrid, although Bayern lost 1–2 to the Spanish club. During the second leg, he suffered a left foot fracture that ended his season abruptly as Bayern lost 4–2 in a controversial match. Bayern ended the season as Bundesliga champions. In addition to playing in the DFL-Supercup,
Neuer played in 26 Bundesliga matches, four German Cup matches, and nine Champions League matches.

On 19 July 2017, it was announced that Neuer would become the new captain for both Bayern and the German national team following
Philipp Lahm's retirement. Neuer played his first game of the season on Bundesliga matchday 2 after recovering from a foot injury that occurred in April during a Champions League game versus Real Madrid. On 13 September 2017, Neuer made his 100th European appearance in a
Champions League match as his side won 3–0 over
Anderlecht. It was announced in September that Neuer would be ruled out until January 2018 after another fracture to the same foot again. After series of delays on his comeback, he finally rejoined team training with Bayern Munich on 20 April 2018 after seven months away, although he had begun goalkeeping-specific training in early April. Neuer was included in the matchday squad for the first time since his injury in the
DFB-Pokal final against
Eintracht Frankfurt but he was an unused substitute. Neuer finished the season with three Bundesliga matches and a Champions League match.
On 12 August 2018, Neuer captained his side in the first competitive match of the
season as Bayern won the
2018 DFL-Supercup
The 2018 DFL-Supercup was the ninth edition of the German super cup under the name DFL-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. The match was played on 12 August 2 ...
by defeating Eintracht Frankfurt with a 5–0 victory.
On 24 August, Neuer played his first Bundesliga game in 341 days when he captained Bayern in a 3–1 victory season opener against Hoffenheim.
On 14 April 2019, Neuer sustained a torn muscle fibres in his left calf in a Bundesliga match against
Fortuna Düsseldorf. Due to the injury, Neuer missed six matches for Bayern in the closing stages of the season.
On 18 May 2019, Neuer won his seventh consecutive Bundesliga title as Bayern finished two points above Dortmund. A week later, Neuer returned from injury and won his fifth
DFB-Pokal as Bayern defeated
RB Leipzig 3–0 in the
2019 DFB-Pokal Final. Neuer finished the season with 26 Bundesliga matches, 3 German Cup matches and 8 Champions League matches. Neuer's
2019–20 started with a 2–0 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the
German Super Cup on 3 August 2019.
On 21 May 2020, Neuer signed a new contract with Bayern, keeping him at the club until 2023. On 23 August, Neuer won the Champions League for the second time, his first as Bayern captain, keeping a clean sheet as his team won
1–0 over
PSG. He was widely praised for his performance. He finished the season with 33
Bundesliga appearances, six German Cup appearances, and 11
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
appearances.
2020–22: The Sextuple and new records
On 24 September 2020, Neuer saved a one-on-one chance from
Sevilla's
Youssef En-Nesyri in the 87th minute in the
2020 UEFA Super Cup
The 2020 UEFA Super Cup was the 45th edition of the UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League ...
, which Bayern Munich won 2–1 after extra-time.
Six days later, Neuer won the
German Super Cup.
On 21 October 2020, Neuer reached his 200th clean sheet with Bayern in 394 matches in a 4–0 win over
Atlético Madrid in the
2020–21 UEFA Champions League. His record surpassed
Sepp Maier (199 clean sheets in 651 games), with only Oliver Kahn (247 clean sheets in 632 matches) ahead of Neuer. On 28 August 2021, Neuer had his 205th clean sheet in Bundesliga in 441 matches, breaking Oliver Kahn's record of 204 clean sheets in 557 matches.
Neuer's 300th Bundesliga victory came in his 447th Bundesliga game on 23 October 2021. Bayern won the Bundesliga during the
2021–22 season with three games to spare. After the season, Neuer extended his contract with Bayern Munich until 2024.
In the beginning of the 2022–23 season, he kept clean sheets in all his three matches in the
Champions League, and four in 12 Bundesliga appearances. On 10 December 2022, Neuer announced that he broke his leg during a ski trip at
Roßkopf on
Spitzingsee in Bavaria, which would force him to miss the rest of the season.
International career
Youth
After progressing through the youth teams, Neuer made his
Germany under-21 debut on 15 August 2006 against the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. He won the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with Germany in
Sweden
Sweden, ; fi, Ruotsi; fit, Ruotti; se, Ruoŧŧa; smj, Svierik; sje, Sverji; sju, Sverje; sma, Sveerje or ; yi, שוועדן, Shvedn; rmu, Svedikko; rmf, Sveittiko. formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic cou ...
and kept a clean sheet in the 4–0 win in the final against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
.
2010 World Cup
Neuer was called up on 19 May 2009 to the senior
German squad for a tour of Asia. He made his debut on this tour in a match against the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at ...
on 2 June. He played in the November friendly against the
Ivory Coast that ended 2–2. Although he took responsibility for the first goal conceded, manager
Joachim Löw refused to blame him and instead commended him for doing his best.
The death of keeper
Robert Enke in November 2009 saw him elevated to second choice goalkeeper behind
René Adler. Adler, however, suffered a serious rib injury which ruled him out of the upcoming
2010 World Cup; Neuer became Germany's first choice goalkeeper ahead of
Tim Wiese and
Hans-Jörg Butt for the tournament.
Neuer was selected as Germany's number one goalkeeper for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. During the group stages, he only conceded a single goal, a close range shot by
Milan Jovanović in the match against
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...
. He provided the assist for
Miroslav Klose's opening goal against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, winning 4–1. In the same match, England's
Frank Lampard had a goal disallowed after his shot hit the crossbar and bounced past the goal line. Controversially, Neuer admitted that he knew it was a legitimate goal, but acted in a way to make the referee doubt this. He played in all of Germany's World Cup matches apart from the third-place game against
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, when Hans-Jörg Butt was rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup.
Euro 2012

Neuer played every minute of every match in the
qualification campaign for
UEFA Euro 2012, helping Germany to secure ten wins out of ten games and top their
group. After Germany's 3–1 away win against
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, he was especially praised for his "sensational" performance. He retained a close range volley shot by
Hamit Altıntop, and then he quickly threw the ball to the halfway line into the feet of
Thomas Müller, who immediately provided the assist for
Mario Gómez's opening goal. Neuer then set up the second goal; under pressure by Turkish attackers, he fired a precise long range kick to
Mario Götze deep in the opponent's half, who then found Müller on the edge of the opponent's penalty box to score. Neuer started all three of Germany's matches in the oft-dubbed "
Group of Death", Group B. He kept a clean sheet against
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal:
:* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
while also conceding one goal each to the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establishe ...
. Germany went on to win Group B; they were the only team in the tournament to win all of their group stage games. He finished group play posting two saves against Portugal, three against the Netherlands and three again against Denmark.
2014 World Cup

Neuer's "sweeper-keeper" playing style distinguished him from other starting goalkeepers in the
2014 World Cup. This was credited with allowing his teammates to press deep in their opponents' half; in addition, Neuer's willingness to come out and challenge opposing attackers caused them to miss shots.
Neuer's outfield roaming, which had made him the team's "11th man", has been attributed to the coaching he received from Bayern Munich manager
Pep Guardiola.
After keeping clean sheets in group matches against Portugal and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, Neuer had an outstanding performance in a 2–1 win against
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, religi ...
after extra time in the round of 16, when he had to play as a sweeper-keeper to defend their counter-attacks. He recorded his third clean sheet of the World Cup in the 1–0
quarter-final defeat of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
. This was his 22nd clean sheet overall in his 50th appearance for ''die Nationalmannschaft''. In the semi-finals, Neuer conceded a late goal as his team routed hosts
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
7–1.
On 13 July, in the
FIFA World Cup Final
The FIFA World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the ' ( FIFA, the International Federation of Association Football), the sport's global governing body. The championship has ...
against
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
, Neuer was not heavily tested, but he nonetheless commanded his penalty area well, challenging attacking runs by
Gonzalo Higuaín and
Rodrigo Palacio that caused them to shoot wide of the net. Early in the second half, Neuer punched the ball clear before colliding with Higuaín at the edge of the box. Argentina finished the match without a shot on goal, despite several good chances, including a Higuaín goal disallowed for offside.
Germany ultimately defeated Argentina 1–0 thanks to a Mario Götze goal in extra time. Neuer won the
Golden Glove award for the tournament's best goalkeeper.
Neuer also finished the tournament with 244 completed passes, more than outfield players like
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
(242),
Wesley Sneijder (242), and Thomas Müller (221).
Euro 2016
On 31 May 2016, Neuer was selected for Germany's final 23 man squad for
UEFA Euro 2016. During the tournament, Neuer did not concede any goals during Germany's three group games against
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
. He also kept a clean sheet in the round of 16 against
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
. During the quarter-finals, on 2 July 2016, he finally conceded a goal against
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
from a
Leonardo Bonucci penalty kick; Neuer established a new record by not conceding a goal in a major tournament for 557 minutes. The previous record-holder was his compatriot Sepp Maier, who did not concede a goal for 481 minutes. A 1–1 draw after extra-time saw the match go to a penalty shoot-out, in which Neuer helped Germany to a 6–5 victory by saving two spot kicks, including one from Bonucci. Neuer was named ''Man of the Match'' for his performance.
2018 World Cup
Prior to the start of qualification, on 1 September 2016, Neuer was named new captain of the national team, following
Bastian Schweinsteiger's retirement from international football. On 15 May 2018, Neuer was selected in Germany's 27-man preliminary squad for the
2018 FIFA World Cup even though he had not played a match since fracturing his foot for a second time in September 2017. Neuer made his first appearance since his injury on 2 June, in a 2–1 friendly defeat to
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
in Klagenfurt. On 4 June, Neuer was selected in the final 23-man squad for the World Cup. On 17 June, Neuer captained his side for the first time in the World Cup in their opening match in which they lost 1–0 to
Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
. On 23 June, Neuer made several saves as his side defeated
Sweden
Sweden, ; fi, Ruotsi; fit, Ruotti; se, Ruoŧŧa; smj, Svierik; sje, Sverji; sju, Sverje; sma, Sveerje or ; yi, שוועדן, Shvedn; rmu, Svedikko; rmf, Sveittiko. formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic cou ...
with a 2–1 victory in their second group stage match, which kept the Germans from being knocked out of the World Cup. However, his side were knocked out of the tournament after losing 2–0 to
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
in their last group stage match.
Euro 2020
On 11 June 2019, in Germany's
UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying 8–0 victory over
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...
, Neuer kept the 37th clean sheet of his international career, breaking a record set by Sepp Maier. On 19 May 2021, Neuer was selected for the squad for the
UEFA Euro 2020.
On 7 June 2021, he achieved his 100th cap with the national team in a friendly match against
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, becoming the first German goalkeeper to reach that milestone.
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs foo ...
began investigating Neuer for wearing
rainbow-coloured captain's armband at the
Euros to commemorate
Pride month
LGBT Pride Month is a month, typically in June, dedicated to celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride. Pride Month began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests in 1969, and ha ...
. They later confirmed it did not breach tournament rules against making on-field political statements.
2022 World Cup
Neuer was called up to Germany's squad for the
2022 World Cup in Qatar. Hence, he became the first German goalkeeper to feature in four consecutive World Cups. On 1 December, he made his 19th World Cup appearance, breaking the previous record for goalkeepers, including both
Sepp Maier and Brazil's
Cláudio Taffarel of 18 appearances. Despite a 4–2 win over
Costa Rica in the last group stage match, Germany was eliminated from the same round for the second World Cup in a row as they finished third in their group on goal difference after
Japan pulled an upset 2–1 win over
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
.
Style of play
Considered by some in the media to be the current best goalkeeper in the world, and one of the greatest goalkeepers both of his generation and of all time, Neuer is widely regarded as a "complete" and modern goalkeeper. He is regarded by some pundits to be the best goalkeeper of the modern era, with Peter Staunton of ''
Goal.com'' labelling him as "the best goalkeeper since
Yashin," who is currently the only goalkeeper ever to have won the
Ballon d'Or.
A tall, large, athletic, and physically strong player, Neuer has earned critical acclaim from former players and pundits for his speed, stamina, composure, concentration, consistency, and mentality, as well as for being able to adapt to any given situation on the pitch. He is particularly known for his exceptional reflexes, shot-stopping abilities (with both his arms and legs), agility, speed, and footwork, as well as his handling, capacity to read the game, and ability to come out to collect crosses, which enables him to command his area effectively. When the situation demands, he will also often essentially fill the role of a sweeper when opposing players have beaten the offside trap or his team's defensive line by quickly rushing out of goal to anticipate opponents and clear the ball; his skill, speed and decision-making in this area enables his teams to maintain a high defensive line. Because of his unique playing style, Neuer has been described as a "sweeper-keeper", and has been credited with revolutionising the role of the goalkeeper in modern times. He has also been praised by pundits for his positioning between the posts, as well as his ability in one-on-one situations; furthermore, he is effective at stopping penalties, and has also been known to take and score them in shoot-outs.
A former outfield player in his youth, in addition to his goalkeeping ability, Neuer has also been praised for his excellent ball control and for his accurate distribution of the ball with both his hands and feet; his long throwing range and ability to kick the ball into deep areas with either foot enables him to play the ball out on the ground or create plays or launch swift counter-attacks from the back. Regarding his technical skills on the ball in comparison to other players in his role, Neuer has stated that he could play in the German third division as a centre-back if so desired. Due to his authoritative leadership and vocal presence in goal, he also excels at communicating with his defenders and organising his team's defensive line. In 2015,
Gianluigi Buffon described Neuer as the best goalkeeper of his era in the air.
Despite the praise for his style of play and role in the development of the goalkeeper position in football, Neuer has also received criticism in the German media for his reflex-like objection to attacking moves in his box regardless of whether they violate rules or not. In particular, his tendency to instantaneously raise his arm to alert the referee has led to the creation of the German word ''Reklamierarm'' (roughly translated: arm of objection) in German media.
Personal life
Neuer was born in
Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He attended
Gesamtschule Berger Feld
Gesamtschule Berger Feld is a '' gesamtschule'' in Gelsenkirchen. It is located in the Erle region and has 1325 pupils and 118 teachers. It is known for the fact that a great number of its former students have become professional football players. ...
, like many other footballers, such as
Mesut Özil. His brother Marcel is currently a football
referee in the
Verbandsliga. He received his first football when he was two, and he had his first game on 3 March 1991, 24 days before his fifth birthday. Neuer's hero and idol as a child was fellow German and former Schalke goalkeeper
Jens Lehmann.
Neuer is
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
, and lends his support to a Gelsenkirchen-based Catholic social action group which campaigns against
child poverty and a Gelsenkirchen-based
youth club run by the
Amigonians.
Neuer started a charity foundation for children, named the Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation. In November 2011, he won €500,000 for charity in a celebrity edition of ''
Wer wird Millionär?'', the German version of ''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?''
Neuer was in a relationship with Kathrin Gilch until 2014. In 2015, Neuer started a relationship with Nina Weiss. On 21 May 2017, Neuer and Weiss married in
Tannheim, Austria, in a civil ceremony, which was followed by a church wedding in the Cathedral of Santissima della Madia in
Monopoli, Italy, on 10 June. The couple separated in early 2020, and Neuer started dating Anika Bissel.
After an erroneous translation of his statement "it would be good if a professional football player
came out because it would help others to do the same", a South American publication concluded that he was gay, which was taken up by many other media outlets and has since been widely believed in some Latin American countries. Mexico were fined for their fans' homophobic chants when Neuer had the ball during a
World Cup match in 2018.
In November 2022, Neuer revealed that he had to undergo three surgeries on his face in order to treat
skin cancer, which later urged him to work with
Angelique Kerber to promote sun cream. In December 2022, Bayern Munich announced that he had suffered a
fracture of his lower right leg while
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ...
and will not be able to play for the rest of the season.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Schalke 04
*
DFB-Pokal:
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
*
DFL-Ligapokal:
2005
Bayern Munich
*
Bundesliga:
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
,
2013–14,
2014–15,
2015–16,
2016–17,
2017–18,
2018–19,
2019–20,
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
,
2021–22
*
DFB-Pokal:
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
,
2013–14,
2015–16,
2018–19,
2019–20
*
DFL-Supercup:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
,
2016,
2017,
2018,
2020,
2021,
2022
*
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
:
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
,
2019–20
*
UEFA Super Cup:
2013,
2020
*
FIFA Club World Cup:
2013,
2020
Germany U21
*
UEFA European Under-21 Championship:
2009
Germany
*
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the ' (FIFA), the ...
:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
Individual
* Bavarian Merit of Honor 2021
*
Silbernes Lorbeerblatt: 2010, 2014
*
Footballer of the Year in Germany: 2011, 2014
*
German national Player of the Year: 2020
*
ESM Team of the Season:
2011–12,
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
,
2014–15
*
UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
*
UEFA Euro Under-21 Dream Team
*
IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020
*
IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper of the Decade: 2011–2020
*
Best European Goalkeeper: 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020
*
IFFHS Men's World Team
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for s ...
: 2020
*
FIFA FIFPro World11:
2013,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
2015,
2016
*
UEFA Team of the Year:
2013,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
,
2015,
2020
*
UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season:
2013–14,
2015–16,
2019–20
*
UEFA Champions League Goalkeeper of the Season:
2019–20
*
The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper:
2020
*
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team:
2010
*
FIFA World Cup Golden Glove:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
*
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
*
FIFA World Cup Dream Team:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
*
AIPS Athlete of the Year: 2014
*
AIPS Europe Athlete of the Year – ''Frank Taylor Trophy'': 2014
* Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2020–21, 2021–22
* ''
kicker'' Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2019–20
*
Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Bronze): 2020
*
IFFHS World Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
*
IFFHS UEFA Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
Notes
See also
*
*
List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
References
External links
*
Manuel Neuerat
FC Bayern Munich
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neuer, Manuel
1986 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Gelsenkirchen
Footballers from North Rhine-Westphalia
German footballers
Germany youth international footballers
Germany under-21 international footballers
Germany international footballers
Association football goalkeepers
FC Schalke 04 players
FC Schalke 04 II players
FC Bayern Munich footballers
Regionalliga players
Oberliga (football) players
Bundesliga players
UEFA Champions League winning players
2010 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2012 players
2014 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2016 players
2018 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2020 players
2022 FIFA World Cup players
FIFA World Cup-winning players
People educated at the Gesamtschule Berger Feld
German Roman Catholics
LGBT rights activists from Germany
FIFA Century Club