Manuel Peter Neuer (German pronunciation: [ˈmaːnu̯eːl ˈnɔʏ.ɐ, -ɛl -]; born 27 March 1986) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and captain for both Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time,[4] Neuer has been described as a "sweeper-keeper" because of his unique playing style and speed when rushing off his line to anticipate opponents.[5][6][7]
Manuel Neuer
Neuer with Germany in 2018
Personal informationFull nameManuel Peter Neuer[1]Date of birth27 March 1986 (age 34)[2]Place of birthGelsenkirchen, West GermanyHeight1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[3]Playing position(s)GoalkeeperClub information
Current team
Bayern MunichNumber1Youth career1991–2005Schalke 04Senior career*YearsTeamApps(Gls)2004–2006Schalke 04 II29(0)2006–2011Schalke 04156(0)2011–Bayern Munich249(0)National team‡2004Germany U181(0)2004–2005Germany U1911(0)2005–2006Germany U204(0)2006–2009Germany U2120(0)2009–Germany92(0)
Honours
Representing  GermanyFIFA World CupWinner20142010UEFA European Championship20122016UEFA European Under-21 ChampionshipWinner2009
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:19, 27 June 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:36, 16 November 2019 (UTC)
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 21 trophies, including eight Bundesliga titles and two UEFA Champions League titles. In 2014, Neuer finished third in the voting, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award. He was awarded the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year and the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper four times each.
Neuer was selected as Germany's number one goalkeeper for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[8] During the group stages, he only conceded a single goal. He provided the assist for Miroslav Klose's opening goal against England, winning 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.[9]
ernational careerEdit
YouthEdit
After progressing through the youth teams, Neuer made his Germany under-21 debut on 15 August 2006 against the Netherlands. He won the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with Germany in Sweden, and kept a clean sheet in the 4–0 win in the final against England.[67]
2010 World CupEdit
Neuer was called up on 19 May 2009 to the senior German squad for a tour of Asia.[68] He made his debut on this tour in a match against the United Arab Emirates on 2 June.[69] 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.[70]
The death of keeper Robert Enke in November 2009 saw him elevated as the 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.[71]
Neuer was selected as Germany's number one goalkeeper for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.[72] During the group stages, he only conceded a single goal, a close range shot by Milan Jovanović in the match against Serbia. He provided the assist for Miroslav Klose's opening goal against England, winning 4–1. In the same match, England player Frank Lampard scored a goal that was erroneously disallowed since the referee ruled incorrectly that the ball had not crossed the line. Controversially, Neuer admitted that he knew it was a legitimate goal, but acted in a way to make the referee doubt this.[73] He played in all of Germany's World Cup matches apart from the third-place game against Uruguay, when Hans-Jörg Butt was rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup.[74]
Euro 2012Edit

Neuer in action for Germany in their Euro 2012 group stage match against Netherlands on 13 June
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, 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.[75] Neuer started all three of Germany's matches in the oft-dubbed "Group of Death", Group B. He kept a clean sheet against Portugal while also conceding one goal each to the Netherlands and Denmark. Germany went on to win Group B, being 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.[citation needed]
2014 World CupEdit

Neuer training before the match against Brazil at the 2014 FIFA World Cup on 7 July
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, plus Neuer's willingness to come out and challenge opposing attackers caused them to miss shots on net.[76] 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.[77]
After keeping clean sheets in group matches against Portugal and the United States, Neuer recorded his third clean sheet of the World Cup in the 1–0 quarter-final defeat of France. This was his 22nd clean sheet overall in his 50th appearance for die Nationalmannschaft.[78] In the semi-finals, Neuer conceded a late goal as his team routed hosts Brazil 7–1.[79]
On 13 July, in the FIFA World Cup Final against Argentina, 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, and ending up Argentina finished the match without a shot on goal despite several good chances including a Higuaín goal disallowed for offside.[76] Early in the second half, Neuer punched the ball clear before colliding with Higuaín at the edge of the box. 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.[80] Neuer also finished the tournament completing 244 passes, more than outfield players like Lionel Messi (242), Wesley Sneijder (242), and Thomas Muller (221).[81]
Euro 2016Edit
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, Poland and Northern Ireland. Neither did he concede a goal in the round of 16 against Slovakia.[82] During the quarter-finals, on 2 July 2016, he finally conceded a goal against Italy from a Leonardo Bonucci penalty kick. With this, 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 didn't 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; he was elected the Man of the Match for his performance.[83][84]
2018 World CupEdit
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.[85] 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.[86] Neuer made his first appearance since his injury on 2 June, in a 2–1 friendly defeat to Austria in Klagenfurt.[87] On 4 June, Neuer was selected in the final 23-man squad for the World Cup.[88] 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.[89] On 23 June, Neuer made some very fine saves as his side defeated Sweden with a 2–1 victory in their second group stage match and also denied the Germans to get knocked out of the World Cup.[90] However, his side were knocked out of the tournament after losing 2–0 to South Korea in their last group stage match.[91]
Euro 2020Edit
On 11 June 2019, Neuer had the 37th clean sheet in his international career, breaking a record set by Sepp Maier, in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match between Germany and Estonia, which ended with an 8–0 thrashing victory for Germany
World Cup
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 still the only goalkeeper ever to have won the Ballon d'Or.[nb 1]
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, agility, speed, and footwork, as well as his ability to read the game, and 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 – uncommon for a goalkeeper – has also been known to take and score them in shoot-outs.[nb 1]
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 the 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.[nb 1] In 2015, Gianluigi Buffon described Neuer as the best goalkeeper of his era in the air.[114]
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.[115]
A good Goalkeeper😍