Manuel Neuer received the loudest cheers in Asia. The Bayern captain is stepping up the pace ahead of what may be his final year as a pro.
If the person he’s dealing with doesn’t think on their feet or react quickly, Manuel Neuer can get a little grumpy. It doesn’t matter whether that person is an adult or still a long way from being one. While walking onto the field at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on Friday evening, Neuer’s escort wasn’t paying attention and was still playing at a small table instead of joining the Bayern players as they made their way onto the field alongside Aston Villa.
With a certain firmness, Neuer therefore reminded the boy to please finish up and come along. And it wasn’t until the boy’s hand disappeared into the goalkeeper’s right glove that Neuer grinned, too.
The Bayern captain is certainly having his share of fun these days, but little moments like the one before kickoff in the most recent friendly show that, two weeks before the start of competitive play in Dortmund, the necessary seriousness is setting in—and must set in—at the record-holding champions. Neuer, in particular, embodies this drive with all his experience, whether in training, in a game, or before a game.
The 40-year-old is facing what is likely to be his final season as a professional soccer player—he announced as much himself two weeks ago at Lake Tegernsee. Expectations will be correspondingly high for the five-time World Goalkeeper of the Year to win it all one last time, including the Champions League, as he heads into his final season.
The signs are promising; the Bayern squad has gotten better rather than worse. And in year three under Vincent Kompany, the team’s chemistry is clicking almost regardless of the lineup—as the 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at least demonstrated. “For the guys who’ve been here a while, nothing has changed,” says Neuer. “We’re always trying to improve and just get the basics right. The young players who’ve just joined are trying to learn that as quickly as possible, too. And they’ve shown themselves in a very good light—it was really fun.”
Neuer is looking forward to Munich—and the increasing workload
Veteran Neuer now has two weeks of preparation behind him, having participated in the training camp in Rottach-Egern and stepped on the gas in Asia. Against Villa, he didn’t have to make a save for 82 minutes, and after the Europa League champions suddenly pulled one back, Neuer saved Bayern with a brilliant save to prevent Tammy Abraham from equalizing. And in doing so, he secured an extremely valuable victory for them at the “Audi Football Summit.”
He certainly found the trip to South Korea and Hong Kong stressful, but Neuer is used to these midsummer PR tours from all these years. “And I think you could also see what you get in return. The fans are there; they support us.” Above all, they celebrated the captain, who received the loudest cheers from the frenzied fans both on Jeju and in the southern Chinese metropolis. “It’s good for all of us to show what we can do here. But still, we’re always looking forward to getting back home, too.”
Back home—that is, on Säbener Straße—things will pick up again starting Monday. By then, the squad will be slowly filling out.