Manuel Neuer on his Bayern Munich contract, 2026 World Cup and more
Manuel Neuer remains at the top of the game despite his 39 years… how much longer has he got with Bayern Munich and potentially also with Germany again?
Neuer has backstopped Bayern’s race to the top of the Bundesliga this season, and the upper echelons of the UEFA Champions League, and remains one of the best goalkeepers in the world despite being a matter of months away from his 40th birthday.
The Bayern No.1 and captain sat down for an interview this week to give his thoughts on the season so far, and if he might cap off a 13th league title with a swansong in Canada, Mexico and the United States next summer…
Watch: The Best of Manuel Neuer
Manuel, at 39 you're still playing at the top level. How does your body cope? How do you keep fit?
Manuel Neuer: “I’m not new to this and I know what I need to do. Being a professional athlete isn’t just about training, it’s about the whole environment, including recovery, sleep and healthy eating. If you’ve been doing it for a while, you know what’s good for your body. This is my life and I try to make sure I’m always fit.
“It’s an inner passion and motivation, which includes wanting to be there for the team and to put in good performances for the team and also for myself. As soon as you sign a contract at Bayern, you know what kind of responsibility this is and you want to do this responsibility justice as a player.”
Watch: Neuer, 20 years, 20 saves
According to reports, you and Bayern are considering another contract extension. Do you have any idea about how long you would like to stay?
Neuer: “I’m not setting myself any targets. As I said, I live in the here and now and I’m not thinking too much about it. I want to finish off this part of the season positively and then we’ll go again in January and try to have a good start. We’ll play up until March until the first international break and then we’ll take it from there.
“I can’t really answer that at the moment because I don’t really know that myself. A lot of things have to be right. My body has to be at a certain level that I am happy with and where I can deliver performances. Of course, the club plays a role in this decision too, so we will have to sit together and make a decision at some point.”
Bayern's defence seems very stable this season. How do you find playing alongside Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah?
Neuer: “Very good, I have to say. They understand each other very well and they understand me as a goalkeeper. They both take on a leadership role and have established themselves very well. They started playing together at the Club World Cup and I think they have continually improved their game from then on. I think these two players fit perfectly to Bayern and they can be a good model for the future.”
How much influence do you have in guiding the team from the back?
Neuer: “We all trust and support each other, and we also communicate a lot with one another. I try to be the last line of defence for the team and for the defence, including the two centre-backs. I think we all value each other a lot and we are able to communicate that.”
You've shaped several generations at Bayern. What makes the current squad special?
Neuer: “It’s very good and we feel like we’re getting two new players back in the form of Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies. We’re already looking good and having a very good first half of the season because we were able to take this momentum from the summer. We’re in a good place, but we still have to try to win our games until Christmas, and then it will have been an almost perfect half of the season.”
How pleased are the team that Musiala, who brings incredible quality, will soon be rejoining you?
Neuer: “We’re very much looking forward to it. He’s been standing on the sidelines at training quite a few times. He doesn’t want to keep away and just do his own thing and complete his rehab alone, but instead he wants to be with the team. You notice this as a player and as a captain, and he’s very keen to be back in team training, as is the case with Alphonso. He’s starting to be reintegrated and I think they will both be there in the coming days and weeks. It’s important that they stay fit and everything goes well.”
What will Bayern achieve in Europe this year?
Neuer: “We’re only playing one competition internationally at the moment and we want to go as far as possible in that. We know that it’ll be a long and difficult road with tough competition, but I think people have taken notice of us in the Champions League campaign so far and we need to keep working on this.”
Your coach, Vincent Kompany, has created an impressive atmosphere within the team and comes across as a players' coach. He’s also always very thoughtful and level-headed in interviews. What’s your impression of him?
Neuer: “He knows the game with the media because he was a player himself at a big club and also has experience as a manager, so he knows how to handle it. He’s very open and clear with us. He knows how we want to play and he tries to bring our strengths into the game. He gives us the tools we need and it’s also good that young players are being integrated, as well as players who might not have been on anyone’s radar previously.
"The playing style and philosophy work so well that we are able to rotate players, especially with our midweek fixtures. It’s important that the players deliver when they are called upon and that has always been the case up until now. You can see that we are taking on board what the coach is telling us.”
How would you describe Kompany's leadership style as a coach – and what do you think sets him apart from other top coaches?
Neuer: “He's very much appreciated by the players because we all know what level he played at and that he's not too far away from where we are as players. He started his career young and was also a player-coach, so he knows all about how modern football is played. He leaves nothing to chance and he is very clear, which makes him appear very confident and dominant. His aim is always to give us what we need to succeed, but he’s also open to conversations and input from the team. He puts an arm around the players when needed and he checks how the injured players are getting on with their rehab. He has a lot on his plate and as we just discussed, he does the media work very well as well. As a young coach here at Bayern, there are a lot of positive things to report about him.”
Watch: Kahn vs. Neuer - German goalkeeping greats under the tactical microscope
You have played in 534 Bundesliga matches, while Oliver Kahn holds the record with 557. Is it your goal to break this record and become the Bundesliga's record-breaking goalkeeper?
Neuer: “I don’t know. I don’t base my career around breaking records and instead live in the here and now with the aim of being as successful as possible with the team. For me, it’s not about playing more games than somebody else. Oliver Kahn is an absolute legend who went his own way and had an outstanding career. I will just concentrate on myself, on my health, and my game for as long as I still enjoy it.”
It is said that your opponents have great respect for you, especially in 1v1s. The mere fact that you are in goal has a psychological effect on your opponents. Are you aware of this and do you deliberately exploit it?
Neuer: “I notice it when young players come through here at Bayern and I meet them for the first time. However, it’s different during games because the players who start or who come off the bench have had trust placed in them and they need to go about their job and try to get the better of me. I try to use my experience to put off the opposition and to show them enough respect that they might end up making the wrong decision.”
There's still something left at the end of the season – the World Cup. There are many voices calling for you to make a comeback to the national team in the same way Toni Kroos did in 2022. Could that still happen under certain circumstances? Manuel Neuer – World Cup 2026?
Neuer: “I don’t know. As things stand, my position hasn’t changed and the most important thing for me is that I concentrate on my club rather than having the World Cup in the back of my mind. I have an important task at hand and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season with Bayern because we have everything in our own hands and there’s a lot we can achieve.”
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