63 Facts About Manuel Neuer

1.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, 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 penalty area.

2.

Manuel Neuer was named the best goalkeeper of the decade from 2011 to 2020 by IFFHS.

3.

Manuel Neuer started his career at Schalke 04 where he won the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Ligapokal.

4.

In 2014, Manuel Neuer finished third in the voting for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

5.

Manuel Neuer was awarded the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year and the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper five times each.

6.

Manuel Neuer was selected as Germany's number one goalkeeper for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

7.

Four years later, Manuel Neuer won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany as well as the Golden Glove award for being the best goalkeeper in the tournament.

8.

Manuel Neuer progressed through every age group at his hometown club, Schalke 04, and signed professional terms in 2005.

9.

Manuel Neuer then saved penalties from Bruno Alves and Lisandro Lopez to help Schalke advance to the quarter-finals.

10.

Manuel Neuer finished the season by making 50 appearances in all competitions.

11.

Manuel Neuer received criticism from Schalke fans, who were disappointed with him leaving for a rival club.

12.

On 1 June 2011, Manuel Neuer made his move to Bayern Munich and signed a five-year contract that lasted until June 2016.

13.

The game featured several saves from both keepers, and Manuel Neuer won the duel against Roman Weidenfeller having only conceded once to Ilkay Gundogan on a penalty shot.

14.

Manuel Neuer finished the season with 31 Bundesliga appearances, five German Cup appearances, 13 UEFA Champions League appearances, and a German Super Cup appearance.

15.

Manuel Neuer started the season by losing in the 2013 DFL-Supercup to Borussia Dortmund.

16.

Manuel Neuer was announced as the 2013 World Goalkeeper of The Year on 7 January 2014.

17.

On 2 May 2014, Manuel Neuer extended his contract until the summer of 2019.

18.

Manuel 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.

19.

Manuel Neuer won the Footballer of the Year prize, was voted into the UEFA Team of the Year, and finished third in the FIFA Ballon d'Or.

20.

Manuel Neuer started the season by losing the 2014 DFL-Supercup to Borussia Dortmund.

21.

Manuel 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.

22.

On 20 April 2016, Manuel Neuer extended his contract with Bayern until 2021.

23.

Manuel 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.

24.

On 19 July 2017, it was announced that Manuel Neuer would become the new captain for both Bayern and the Germany national team following Philipp Lahm's retirement.

25.

Manuel 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.

26.

Manuel Neuer finished the season with three Bundesliga matches and a Champions League match.

27.

On 14 April 2019, Manuel Neuer sustained a torn muscle fibres in his left calf in a Bundesliga match against Fortuna Dusseldorf.

28.

On 18 May 2019, Manuel Neuer won his seventh consecutive Bundesliga title as Bayern finished two points above Dortmund.

29.

Manuel Neuer finished the season with 26 Bundesliga matches, 3 German Cup matches and 8 Champions League matches.

30.

On 21 May 2020, Manuel Neuer signed a new contract with Bayern, keeping him at the club until 2023.

31.

Manuel Neuer finished the season with 33 Bundesliga appearances, six German Cup appearances, and 11 UEFA Champions League appearances.

32.

Manuel Neuer's record surpassed Sepp Maier, with only Oliver Kahn ahead of Neuer.

33.

On 28 August 2021, Manuel Neuer had his 205th clean sheet in Bundesliga in 441 matches, breaking Oliver Kahn's record of 204 clean sheets in 557 matches.

34.

Manuel Neuer was called up on 19 May 2009 to the senior German squad for a tour of Asia.

35.

Adler suffered a serious rib injury which ruled him out of the upcoming 2010 World Cup; Manuel Neuer became Germany's first choice goalkeeper ahead of Tim Wiese and Hans-Jorg Butt for the tournament.

36.

Manuel Neuer was selected as Germany's number one goalkeeper for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

37.

Controversially, Manuel Neuer admitted that he knew it was a legitimate goal, but acted in a way to make the referee doubt this.

38.

Manuel Neuer played in all of Germany's World Cup matches apart from the third-place game against Uruguay, when Hans-Jorg Butt was rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup.

39.

Manuel 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.

40.

Manuel Neuer then set up the second goal; under pressure by Turkish attackers, he fired a precise long range kick to Mario Gotze deep in the opponent's half, who then found Muller on the edge of the opponent's penalty box to score.

41.

Manuel Neuer finished group play posting two saves against Portugal, three against the Netherlands and three again against Denmark.

42.

Manuel Neuer's "sweeper-keeper" playing style distinguished him from other starting goalkeepers in the 2014 World Cup.

43.

Manuel 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.

44.

Early in the second half, Manuel Neuer punched the ball clear before colliding with Higuain at the edge of the box.

45.

Manuel Neuer won the Golden Glove award for the tournament's best goalkeeper.

46.

Manuel Neuer finished the tournament with 244 completed passes, more than outfield players like Lionel Messi, Wesley Sneijder, and Thomas Muller.

47.

On 31 May 2016, Manuel Neuer was selected for Germany's final 23 man squad for UEFA Euro 2016.

48.

Manuel Neuer kept a clean sheet in the round of 16 against Slovakia.

49.

Manuel Neuer was named Man of the Match for his performance.

50.

On 15 May 2018, Manuel 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.

51.

On 19 May 2021, Manuel Neuer was selected for the squad for the UEFA Euro 2020.

52.

UEFA began investigating Manuel Neuer for wearing rainbow-coloured captain's armband at the Euros to commemorate Pride month.

53.

Manuel Neuer was called up to Germany's squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

54.

Manuel Neuer is regarded by some pundits to be the best goalkeeper of the modern era, with Peter Staunton of Goal.

55.

Manuel Neuer is particularly known for his exceptional reflexes, shot-stopping abilities, 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.

56.

Manuel Neuer has 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 been known to take and score them in shoot-outs.

57.

Manuel Neuer attended Gesamtschule Berger Feld, like many other footballers, such as Mesut Ozil.

58.

Manuel Neuer received his first football when he was two, and he had his first game on 3 March 1991,24 days before his fifth birthday.

59.

Manuel Neuer is Catholic, 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.

60.

Manuel Neuer was in a relationship with Kathrin Gilch until 2014.

61.

The couple separated in early 2020, and Manuel Neuer started dating Anika Bissel.

62.

Mexico were fined for their fans' homophobic chants when Manuel Neuer had the ball during a World Cup match in 2018.

63.

In November 2022, Manuel 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.