No final participation due to residual risk
©IMAGO
At the cup party on the lawn of the Berlin Olympic Stadium, Manuel Neuer was suddenly right in the middle of it all. The record goalkeeper jumped around exuberantly in the crowd of Bayern professionals. The injured calf obviously didn’t hinder him. “It was just a hop. It’s definitely enough to cheer about,” said Neuer on “ARD”. A little later he lifted the pot as captain in the golden confetti shower. The 40-year-old had to watch Munich’s 3-0 win against VfB Stuttgart thanks to Harry Kane’s hat trick from the stands because of the injury.
With his seventh cup triumph, Neuer drew level with Bastian Schweinsteiger as the record winner – later a scarf with the inscription “Record Cup Winner” hung around his shoulders. Behind the duo is a sextet with six trophies each. He had previously caught up with Thomas Müller with Munich’s 13th championship title and thus equalized the record. In the summer of 2027 he could become the sole record champion with another double in both competitions.
Neuer ready for DFB – Nagelsmann wanted to avoid any residual risk
On Thursday, Neuer was nominated for the national team again by national coach Julian Nagelsmann, almost two years after his resignation from the DFB. He should be in the German goal at the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada. The calf injury should not be an obstacle to the comeback. “I’m on the right track,” confirmed Neuer.
Nagelsmann also thought that the timeout for the final was the right decision, and of course he only thinks about Neuer’s spectacular comeback in the DFB goal. As soon as possible there should be enough to do more than celebrate when the World Cup squad begins preparing for the tournament on Wednesday in Herzogenaurach.
“We talked a lot this week, including with the doc. We have a good exchange with Bayern Munich. It was a joint decision about how much risk you take before a tournament like this. If you had played there would have been a small residual risk that it wouldn’t heal the way it is healing now,” explained Nagelsmann before the final on “ARD”.
The course of the game proved the national coach and those responsible for Bayern right. Deputy Jonas Urbig had to hit several dozen long shots during Stuttgart’s considerable pressing phase in the first half. Maximum stress for a goalkeeper’s calf. “From the national team’s perspective, it’s good that he gets a few more days of rest and can then start well prepared for us,” emphasized Nagelsmann on “DFB-TV”.
However, Neuer will limit his activities at the national team camp in Franconia. A comeback against Finland next Sunday (8:45 p.m./ZDF) in Mainz before departure to the USA is not a must. Before the 2014 World Cup victory, he missed both final test matches due to a shoulder injury sustained in the cup final in Berlin. He only started training again in Brazil. The demoted Oliver Baumann could immediately be required in his new role as 1b goalkeeper.
