New Delhi: Manuel Neuer has confirmed his retirement from international football after an absolute gem of a career. Some consider him as the best ever goalkeeper, while others say that he is the actual artist behind the art of modern day goalkeeping. After making 124 appearances for his nation since 2009, Manuel Neuer finally said goodbye to the German national side. The German Football Association (DFB) praised Neuer, naming him among the all-time best goalkeepers.
Schalke have a history of producing some of the best German talents and Manuel Neuer has to be that one player who tops that list. A true legend to the game who spent his youth career at Die Knappen has been a constant performer for the German national side giving his all to save Germany on numerous big ocassions.
He is a German icon and one of the most decorated German footballers, winning a number of trophies in club as well as for the German side. The 38 year old veteran has had few of his best moments playing for the German national side. As it is confirmed that he will be saying goodbye to the German national side after an illustrious career, let’s have a look at some of his best moments in German jersey.
Guiding Germany to the World cup
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – JULY 13: Manuel Neuer of Germany lifts the World Cup trophy with his team after defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final match between Germany and Argentinaat Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
During Germany’s victorious 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign, Neuer started every one of their seven games, earning the Golden Glove award for maintaining the most clean sheets during the competition.
In the round of 16, Neuer had to play as a sweeper-keeper to stop Algeria’s counterattacks, but he produced an incredible performance in a 2–1 victory over them after extra time. This came after preserving clean sheets in group matches against Portugal and the United States. Against France in the quarterfinal of the World Cup, he registered his third clean sheet of the competition. This marked his 50th appearance for the German national side and his 22nd clean sheet overall. Neuer let up a late goal in the semifinals, but his team still defeated the hosts, Brazil, 7–1.
Although Neuer did not face much opposition in the FIFA World Cup Final against Argentina, he effectively controlled his penalty area and stopped Gonzalo Higuaín and Rodrigo Palacio’s attacking moves, which resulted in their shots missing the goal. A Mario Götze goal in extra time proved to be the difference in Germany’s final 1-0 win over Argentina. As the best goalkeeper in the competition, Neuer was awarded the Golden Glove.
In addition, Neuer completed 244 more passes in the tournament than outfield players such as Thomas Müller, Wesley Sneijder, and Lionel Messi. He was an instrumental figure for the German side who lifted their fourth FIFA World Cup.
Securing third place finish in Ballon d’or rankings
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – JANUARY 12: FIFA Ballon d’Or nominees Manuel Neuer of Germany and FC Bayern Munich, Lionel Messi of Argentina and FC Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Real Madrid (L-R) pose after a press conference prior to the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala 2014 at the Kongresshaus on January 12, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images)
The German goalkeeper finished 3rd, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the 2014 Ballon d’or rankings, mainly after his stellar performances and contribution to Germany’s world cup winning campaign. Neuer had a great season with Bayern, while also becoming a central figure for Germany as he guided them to their fourth worldcup. Many believed that he might just become the only goalkeeper after Lev Yashin, to lift the Ballon d’or after his scintillating performances.
Even though he won the FIFA World Cup and shared the Bundesliga and DFB Cup double with FC Bayern, the all-time great sweeper-keeper was eventually unable to claim the major award. With 37.66% of the voting, Ronaldo won the award ahead of Messi (15.76%) and Neuer (15.72%). 184 coaches, 184 national captains, and 173 members of the international media submitted their ballots.
Despit the fact that he was not the recipient of football’s most prestigious individual award, the world’s undisputed No. 1 will remember 2014 fondly because he secured his second consecutive World Goalkeeper of the Year title, added the World Cup Golden Glove award to his personal collection for both club and country, and was included in the FIFPro World XI.
Most number of appearances by a keeper in Euros
STUTTGART, GERMANY – JULY 05: Manuel Neuer of Germany gestures during the UEFA EURO 2024 quarter-final match between Spain and Germany at Stuttgart Arena on July 05, 2024 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
After being selected in the starting lineup for Germany vs. Switzerland in the Frankfurt Arena, the German icon became the goalkeeper with the most appearances in the history of the European Championships. After surpassing Gianluigi Buffon of Italy, Neuer set a record with 18 appearances in the European Championship. Neuer made 124 appearances between the sticks for the German national team since his debut in 2009.
Germany failed to win the Euros this summer, but Neuer produced some great performances, helping his national side reach the quarter finals where they eventually lost against Spain who went on to lift the trophy.
Most capped German goalkeeper
STUTTGART, GERMANY – JULY 5: Manuel Neuer of Germany looks on during the UEFA EURO 2024 quarter-final match between Spain and Germany at Stuttgart Arena on July 5, 2024 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by sportinfoto/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
With a total of 124 caps for his national side, Manuel Neuer is also the most capped German goalkeeper which proves the longevity of the German goalkeeper’s international career. Despite being 38, he played each of Germany’s Euro matches this summer, proving to be a major part of Julian Nagelsmann’s system. This stat also ranks him fifth in the list of most number of international apprearances for the German national side. The list is topped by Lothar Mathhaus with 150 appearances for the Die Mannschaft.
During that time, he participated in eight different major international tournaments, and he always played a crucial role as a top class shot stopper and above all a bif time leader.
Most number of international clean sheets for a German keeper
BORDEAUX, FRANCE – JULY 02: Manuel Neuer of Germany makes a safe during the penalty shootout of the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter final match between Germany and Italy at Stade Matmut Atlantique on July 2, 2016 in Bordeaux, France. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
The legendary goalkeeper has 51 international clean sheets which is most by any German goalkeeper. Considering the quality of German goalkeepers over the years, Neuer truly had to compete against few of the best in the sport including the likes of Oliver Kahn, Jens Lehmann, Sepp Maier and Harald Schumacher. Besides, in the current generation, he managed to bench Marc Andre Ter Stegen in the German national team, who is also considered to be one of the best goalkeepers of this generation.
Record five times best European Goalkeeper
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – DECEMBER 17: In this handout image provided by FIFA, Manuel Neuer is seen giving a acceptance speech on a video link after winning The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award as Ruud Gullit, Pascal Zuberbuehler and Reshmin Chowdhury look on during the The Best FIFA Football Awards on December 17, 2020 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Valeriano Di Domenico/FIFA via Getty Images)
He was awarded the Best European Goalkeeper a record five times, and the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper a joint-record five times, alongside Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas. He was also named the Best FIFA Goalkeeper in 2020 thanks to his wonderful performances for his club Bayern Munich. Keeping aside his club achievements, his contribution to the German national side has been immense and he has set a new standard for this particular spot in the German national squad.
Manuel Neuer says goodbye to the German national team after more than a decade of service. Let’s have a look at some of his biggest career highlights. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
