Jonas Urbig: Who is the young German goalkeeper tipped to inherit the gloves from Manuel Neuer at Bayern Munich?
Jonas Urbig was mooted as Manuel Neuer's potential successor at Bayern Munich after joining the record champions from Cologne. bundesliga.com has the lowdown on the rising star, who already has impressed in 2025 with four Bundesliga clean sheets.
Data correct as of 17 December 2025
Age: 22 (born 8 August 2003)
Club: Bayern Munich
Position: Goalkeeper
Country: Germany (eight U21 caps)
Key stats
On the books at Cologne since the age of nine, Urbig had already been capped by Germany's U17, U18, U19 and U20s by the time he made his professional debut in early 2023. His first taste of senior football came during a six-month loan with Jahn Regensburg in Bundesliga 2 and, after their relegation, was followed by a temporary stint at Greuther Fürth.
Urbig underlined some impressive displays at Regensburg with a not insignificant 11 clean sheets across 33 Bundesliga 2 appearances for Fürth. Between October and December 2023, he even went over 600 minutes without conceding. The Germany U21 international then returned to Cologne, initially winning first-choice honours with 10 appearances to start 2024/25.
Watch: Urbig on his move to Bayern Munich
Despite falling down the pecking order in the latter part of the Hinrunde, he'd done enough to convince Bayern to put forward a long-term deal through to summer 2029, duly signed, sealed and delivered on 27 January 2025.
Urbig's big step into the Bayern limelight came somewhat unexpectedly. During the Bavarian's giants' all-Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League round of 16 first-leg victory against Bayer Leverkusen, Neuer pulled up with a muscle issue and signalled his intention to come off. Vincent Kompany called to his back-up custodian and Urbig took to the field in the 58th minute to make his Bayern and Champions League debuts.
Aged 21 years and 209 days, he became the second-youngest goalkeeper to feature for Bayern in the Champions League after Stefan Wessels (20 years and 205 days old against Rangers in September 1999).
Following his Champions League bow, Urbig started 11 straight games for Bayern, gaining valuable experience in Neuer’s absence. Conceding three on his Bundesliga debut against Bochum, Urbig responded well with a commanding performance in the return leg against Leverkusen, facing 30 crosses and 14 corners that night as the Cologne graduate recorded his first clean sheet after being named in the starting line-up.
Seeing out 2024/25 with 12 appearances across all competitions under Kompany, Urbig rightfully drew praise from his head coach, and teammate Harry Kane.
Bayern’s No. 40 has featured twice in the Bundesliga so far in 2025/26, recording clean sheets against bogey team Borussia Mönchengladbach, and VfB Stuttgart. An understudy to Neuer, Urbig continues to gain valuable minutes.
Plays a bit like: Noah Atubolu
Urbig's a confident shot-stopper, but he's also very adept with his feet and known for his impeccable distribution. The mix of sharp reflexes and his command of the ball have drawn comparisons with Freiburg counterpart Atubolu, a player whom he rivalled for the No.1 jersey with the Germany U21s.
Watch: The best of Urbig
Did you know?
Testament to Urbig's talents, Neuer was reportedly involved in Bayern's dealings to bring him to the Allianz Arena. Instead of gaining valuable minutes out on loan, the former Cologne youngster remained at Bayern to learn from the world-renowned goalkeeper, rather than furthering his development elsewhere.
What they're saying
“We’re happy that we’ve got someone with so much talent that can replace Manu.” - Bayern head coach Kompany
"Amazing for him to come on in this type of game. He looked cool, calm and collected out there. I just congratulated him for his debut at this big club. I think he did really well." - Kane on Urbig's debut against Leverkusen
"He's one of the most promising young goalkeepers in German football, very ambitious and has massive potential. Jonas is a modern goalkeeper who, with the way he interprets the game, fits in well with Bayern's style of play." - Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund
“Jonas is one of Germany’s biggest goalkeeping talents. We are very proud that a young lad from Cologne is making the step from our academy to Bayern.” - Former Cologne managing director Christian Keller
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