New Delhi: Germany’s number one for over a decade, Manuel Neuer has finally called time on his 15-year career with the national team with whom he won the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. His career with the national team has been a storied one as the keeper established himself as arguably the best goalkeeper of his generation.
Germany have always had a history of producing world-class goalkeepers. Sepp Maier, Harold Schumacher, Oliver Kahn, Jens Lehmann, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the list is endless. However, there’s one player who stands above these greats and that is Manuel Neuer. The legendary goalkeeper restricted someone like Ter Stegen, who has kept over 250 clean sheets in his career, to only 40 appearances for the national team.
The German National football team is one of the biggest reasons why I am an ardent fan of this sport and it all started at the tender age of 9 during the UEFA Euro 2008 when the team reached the finals, thanks in part to the performances of Jens Lehmann. When the 2010 FIFA World Cup rolled around, I was excited to watch Lehmann in goal once again but when the team sheets for Germany’s first game against Australia came out, I was puzzled to see someone by the name of Manuel Neuer start in goal. Little did I know that one day, I’d be writing about his retirement.
Oliver Kahn’s legacy was well and truly upheld and then surpassed by Manuel Neuer. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Many consider Oliver Kahn to be the greatest goalkeeper of all time and while Kahn is definitely up there amongst one of the all-time greats, his counterpart exceeded him in one key aspect where Kahn failed. For all his heroics, Kahn could never lift the biggest trophy in International football, the FIFA World Cup. He helped carry his team to the finals of the 2002 edition but failed at the last hurdle.
Conversely, in just his first FIFA World Cup, Neuer helped his team finish third in the 2010 edition and bettered his and his country’s performance in the 2014 edition, guiding his team to World Cup glory for the first time since 1990. Not only did Neuer help his side win multiple trophies, but he’s also someone who has given a new style to the goalkeeping position.
The 38-year-old has owned the term ‘sweeper-keeper’ throughout his career for both Germany and Bayern Munich during these past 15 years. His speed in coming off the line to support his defenders in the outfield has helped his teammates press deep inside the opposition half as they didn’t have to worry about handling business in their own half. His willingness to come off the line and make himself big created pressure on the attackers, forcing them to miss their opportunities.
With a footballing brain as sharp as a midfielder’s and the reflexes of a cat, he began to blur the lines between a traditional goalkeeper and an outfield player. his willingness to rush off his line to intercept through balls and his composure under pressure laid the foundation for what is the definition of a modern-day sweeper-keeper. Neuer didn’t just stop at revolutionizing his position; he made goalkeeping glamorous. In a world where attacking players often steal the spotlight, Neuer brought goalkeepers back into the conversation for the game’s most valuable assets.
No keeper has been able to stand on the Ballon d’Or podium since Neuer in 2014. (Photo by Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images)
His performances were a huge part of Germany’s World Cup winning campaign of 2014, which got him a podium finish at the 2014 Ballon d’Or ceremony where the German finished third, only behind two of the best players in the planet the at the time, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. While he didn’t win the award that year, which he should have according to some fans and pundits, his third-placed finish is still the best finish for a goalkeeper in the Ballon d’Or rankings since the legendary Lev Yashin won the trophy back in 1963.
Yashin, who is believed by some to be the greatest goalkeeper of all time, is another keeper who epitomized the sweeper-keeper role and it’s poetic that someone like Manuel Neuer was the one who even came close to achieving that success. What makes his third-place finish even more commendable is the fact that it has been 10 years since that achievement and nobody else has matched that finish.
His achievements, performances and play style have all contributed to the German being touted as the best goalkeeper since Lev Yashin and that would be a fair thing to say about Neuer. The beauty of his game was even though he played the role of a sweeper-keeper to the tee, he was truly exceptional at everything a conventional goalkeeper needs to do as well. His reflexes, shot-stopping, handling, and distribution all have been at the highest level at all times in his career.
Rarely will anyone ever see such a complete and well-rounded goalkeeper, who can not only save, pass and defend in the game but is also an outstanding shot-stopper when it comes to penalties and can also hit the cleanest of penalties, having done so in multiple penalty shootouts for club and country.
In the pantheon of football greats, few have left a mark as indelible as Manuel Neuer. His legacy will be defined by his innovation, unwavering excellence, and relentless pursuit of greatness. As his remarkable career draws to a close, he will be celebrated not just as one of the greatest goalkeepers in history, but as the man who made goalkeeping great again.
The best goalkeeper since Lev Yashin signals the beginning of the end with his International retirement. An illustrious career comes to an end and the standard has been set for future generations. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
