Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Manuel Neuer
How Manuel Neuer built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Manuel Neuer is a highly acclaimed German professional footballer renowned for his goalkeeping skills. He currently captains Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Often regarded as one of history's greatest and most influential goalkeepers, he is nicknamed a "sweeper-keeper" because he proactively leaves his goal to intercept opponents. His exceptional abilities earned him the title of IFFHS's best goalkeeper of the decade (2011-2020).
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Bayern Munich will play against Boca Juniors in the Klub-WM. Kompany's decision to bench Müller is a surprising highlight of the match. The game will be broadcasted live.
2003: Played for Schalke 04 II
From 2003 to 2004, Manuel Neuer played for Schalke 04 II.
2004: Played for Schalke 04 II
From 2004 to 2005, Manuel Neuer played for Schalke 04 II.
2005: Signed Professional Terms with Schalke 04
In 2005, Manuel Neuer signed professional terms with his hometown club, Schalke 04. He also won the DFL-Ligapokal as an unused substitute.
August 2006: Germany Under-21 debut
On 15 August 2006, Manuel Neuer made his debut for the Germany under-21 team against the Netherlands.
2006: Played for Schalke 04 II
From 2006 to 2007, Manuel Neuer played for Schalke 04 II and made Bundesliga debut.
2007: Played for Schalke 04 II
From 2007 to 2008, Manuel Neuer played for Schalke 04 II.
2007: Played in German League Cup
In the 2007-08 season, Manuel Neuer started by playing in three matches in the German League Cup.
March 2008: Saved Penalties Against Porto
On March 5, 2008, in a Champions League match against Porto, Manuel Neuer saved penalties from Bruno Alves and Lisandro López, helping Schalke advance to the quarter-finals.
2008: Played for Schalke 04 II
From 2008 to 2009, Manuel Neuer played for Schalke 04 II.
2008: Schalke Finished Eighth in the League
In the 2008-09 season, Schalke, with Neuer as goalkeeper, finished eighth in the league table and missed out on a Europa League spot.
May 2009: Called up to senior German squad
In May 2009, Manuel Neuer was called up to the senior German squad for a tour of Asia.
2009: Debut for Germany National Team
In 2009, Manuel Neuer made his debut for the senior Germany national team.
May 2010: Named to World Cup squad as starting goalkeeper
In May 2010, after René Adler's injury, Manuel Neuer was named to Germany's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was confirmed as the starting goalkeeper.
2010: Appointed Captain of Schalke
For the 2010-11 season, Manuel Neuer was appointed captain of Schalke 04.
2010: Appointed Schalke 04 Club Captain
In 2010, Manuel Neuer was appointed as the club captain for Schalke 04.
2010: First-Choice Goalkeeper at FIFA World Cup
In 2010, Manuel Neuer was the first-choice goalkeeper for Germany at the FIFA World Cup.
April 2011: Announced Departure from Schalke
On April 20, 2011, Manuel Neuer announced that he would not be extending his contract with Schalke, which was set to expire at the end of the 2011–12 season.
June 2011: Signed with Bayern Munich
On June 1, 2011, Manuel Neuer officially moved to Bayern Munich, signing a five-year contract lasting until June 2016.
November 2011: Charity Win on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"
In November 2011, Manuel Neuer won €500,000 for his charity foundation in a celebrity edition of "Wer wird Millionär?", the German version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?".
2011: Signed for Bayern Munich
In 2011, Manuel Neuer signed for Bayern Munich and has since won 28 trophies.
2011: Statement on Homosexuality in Football
In 2011, Manuel Neuer stated that "it would be good if a professional football player came out because it would help others to do the same", showing his support for LGBTQ+ rights in football.
2011: Joined Bayern
In January 2015, Neuer conceded four goals, marking the first time he had given up four goals in a league match since joining Bayern in 2011.
2011: Champions League Semifinals
In the 2011-12 Champions League semi-finals, Manuel Neuer saved penalties from Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká on April 25, 2012, helping Bayern through against Real Madrid.
April 2012: Saved Penalties Against Real Madrid
On April 25, 2012, Manuel Neuer saved penalty kicks from both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká, helping Bayern Munich advance in the 2011-12 Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid. Neuer revealed he studied Ronaldo's penalty-taking habits beforehand using his goalkeeping coach, Toni Tapalović's, laptop.
2012: Excelled during UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
During the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, Neuer played every minute of every match and helped Germany secure ten wins out of ten games and top their group. Following Germany's 3–1 away win against Turkey, he was praised for his "sensational" performance, including a close-range save and two assists.
2012: Champions League Final
In 2012, Neuer played in the lost Champions League final against Chelsea that Bayern Munich lost.
May 2014: Extended Contract with Bayern Munich
On May 2, 2014, Manuel Neuer extended his contract with Bayern Munich until the summer of 2019.
2014: Won Golden Glove at 2014 FIFA World Cup
In 2014, Neuer started in all seven of Germany's matches in their 2014 FIFA World Cup winning campaign, winning the Golden Glove for keeping the most clean sheets at the tournament.
April 2016: Extended Contract with Bayern Munich
On April 20, 2016, Manuel Neuer extended his contract with Bayern Munich until 2021.
June 2016: Five-Year Contract Ended
In June 2016, Manuel Neuer's five-year contract with Bayern Munich ended.
July 2016: Broke clean sheet record, saved penalties against Italy
On 2 July 2016, during the Euro 2016 quarter-final against Italy, Neuer broke Sepp Maier's record for not conceding a goal at a major tournament, reaching 557 minutes. He then saved two penalties in a shoot-out, helping Germany win 6–5 and was named Man of the Match.
September 2016: Named captain of German national team
On 1 September 2016, Neuer was appointed as the new captain of the German national team, succeeding Bastian Schweinsteiger after his retirement from international football.
September 2017: 100th European Appearance
On September 13, 2017, Neuer made his 100th European appearance in a Champions League match which his side won 3-0 over Anderlecht and suffered foot fracture.
2017: Appointed Captain of Germany National Team
In 2017, Manuel Neuer was appointed as the captain of the Germany national team.
May 2018: Selected for Germany's preliminary World Cup squad
On 15 May 2018, Neuer was selected in Germany's 27-man preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, despite recovering from a foot fracture.
August 2018: Captained Bayern to DFL-Supercup victory
On 12 August 2018, Manuel Neuer captained Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup, leading them to a 5–0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. He also captained Bayern in a 3–1 victory against Hoffenheim on 24 August, marking his first Bundesliga game in 341 days.
2018: Represented Germany at the World Cup
In 2018, Manuel Neuer represented Germany at the World Cup.
May 2019: Won Bundesliga Title and DFB-Pokal
On 18 May 2019, Manuel Neuer won his seventh consecutive Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich. A week later, he returned from injury to win his fifth DFB-Pokal, as Bayern defeated RB Leipzig 3–0 in the 2019 DFB-Pokal Final.
2019: Contract with Bayern Munich
In May 2014, Neuer extended his contract with Bayern Munich until the summer of 2019.
May 2020: Signed new contract with Bayern Munich and won Champions League
On 21 May 2020, Neuer signed a new contract with Bayern, keeping him at the club until 2023. On 23 August, Neuer won the Champions League for the second time, his first as Bayern captain, with a 1–0 victory over PSG, earning widespread praise for his performance.
September 2020: Won the UEFA and German Super Cups
On 24 September 2020, Neuer made a crucial save against Sevilla in the 2020 UEFA Super Cup, which Bayern Munich won 2–1 after extra time. Six days later, in September 2020, Neuer also won the German Super Cup.
October 2020: Reached 200th clean sheet with Bayern
On 21 October 2020, Neuer achieved his 200th clean sheet with Bayern in 394 matches, during a 4–0 win against Atlético Madrid in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League.
November 2020: Equaled and Surpassed Sepp Maier's record for Germany caps
On 14 November 2020, in a 3–1 win over Ukraine, Neuer equalled Sepp Maier's record of 95 caps for Germany. Three days later, on 17 November 2020, he became the nation's all-time most capped goalkeeper with his 96th appearance, in a 6–0 loss to Spain.
2020: Won Second Champions League Title
In 2020, Manuel Neuer won his second UEFA Champions League title, again as part of a treble with Bayern Munich, and as the club's captain.
June 2021: Achieved 100th cap with national team
On 7 June 2021, in a pre-tournament friendly against Latvia, Neuer achieved his 100th cap with the national team, becoming the first German goalkeeper to reach that milestone. UEFA investigated Neuer for wearing a rainbow-coloured captain's armband but confirmed it did not breach tournament rules.
August 2021: Broke Bundesliga clean sheet record
On 28 August 2021, Neuer recorded his 205th clean sheet in the Bundesliga in 441 matches, surpassing Oliver Kahn's previous record of 204 clean sheets in 557 matches.
October 2021: Achieved 300th Bundesliga victory
On 23 October 2021, Manuel Neuer achieved his 300th Bundesliga victory in his 447th Bundesliga game.
2021: Contract Extended Until 2021
On April 20, 2016, Neuer extended his contract with Bayern Munich until 2021.
2022: Represented Germany at the World Cup
In 2022, Manuel Neuer represented Germany at the World Cup.
2022: Featured in fourth consecutive World Cup and broke appearance record
In 2022, Neuer was called up to Germany's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first German goalkeeper to feature in four consecutive World Cups. On 1 December 2022, he made his 19th World Cup appearance, breaking the previous record for goalkeepers. Germany failed to progress from the group stage for a second consecutive World Cup.
October 2023: Return to play after injury
On 28 October 2023, Manuel Neuer played his first match in 350 days, which resulted in an 8–0 victory over Darmstadt.
2023: End of Captaincy for Germany National Team
In 2023, Manuel Neuer's tenure as captain of the Germany national team came to an end.
January 2024: Played 500th match for FC Bayern
On 12 January 2024, during a 3–0 win over Hoffenheim, Manuel Neuer played his 500th match for FC Bayern, equalling Bastian Schweinsteiger in tenth place in the club's all-time appearance rankings.
June 2024: Named to UEFA Euro 2024 squad
In June 2024, Neuer was named in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He made his first appearance for the national team since the 2022 World Cup in a pre-tournament friendly against Ukraine on 3 June, keeping a clean sheet.
August 2024: Retirement from National Team
On August 2024, Manuel Neuer announced his retirement from the German national team after recording 51 clean sheets in 124 international appearances.
2024: Extended contract with Bayern Munich
After the 2021-22 season, Manuel Neuer extended his contract with Bayern Munich until 2024.
2024: Played in UEFA Euro 2024, breaking appearance records
In June 2024, Neuer started in the opening game of Euro 2024 as the hosts beat Scotland 5–1 in Munich. He played in all five of Germany's matches at the tournament, keeping clean sheets against Hungary and Denmark. His 20 games at European Championships are a record amongst German players.
February 2025: Extended Bayern Contract Until 2026
On 3 February 2025, Neuer extended his contract with Bayern until June 2026.
March 2025: Played 150th Champions League match
On 5 March 2025, Neuer played his 150th Champions League match for Bayern Munich against Leverkusen.
June 2025: Contract Extension
In November 2023, Neuer extended his contract with Bayern Munich until 30 June 2025.
June 2026: Contract End Date
In February 2025, Neuer extended his contract with Bayern until June 2026.
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