Few people represent FC Bayern’s incredible success of recent years quite like Manuel Neuer. Since arriving in Munich from Schalke in 2011, the goalkeeper has defined an era at the club. On Tuesday, the 37-year-old signed a contract extension at Bayern until 30 June 2025, and we’re marking the occasion with a look back on his many records and highlights – of which we hope many more will still come.
Clear goals on arrival
When Neuer joined Bayern in July 2011, the then-25-year-old had clear goals. “Bayern Munich is the best club in Germany. I know what I want, which is success with the club and for myself,” said the goalkeeper who had won a solitary DFB Cup with Schalke before his switch. And he didn’t just talk the talk…
Debut season hails new era
That being said, his debut season in Munich didn’t go at all to plan. Three runners-up finishes in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League meant Neuer’s first year ended in disappointment. However, it kickstarted a new era and the most successful in the club’s history, with Neuer a central figure.
Titles, titles and more titles
Neuer has so far amassed 29 trophies in his 12 years at Bayern, including two trebles of Bundesliga, DFB Cup and Champions League in 2013 and 2020. He has also received numerous personal accolades, such as Germany’s Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2014, The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper in 2020 and the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper of the Decade: 2011–2020.
Unmatched achievements
Neuer has so far featured 494 times in competitive fixtures for Bayern, keeping a clean sheet in almost half of those (234). Since he arrived at the Allianz Arena in 2011, no other goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues has managed as many shut-outs. His 375 games won with Bayern is also the best of any goalkeeper in that period.
Defining the modern goalkeeper
Neuer embodies the modern goalkeeping game, in fact redefining it and taking it to another level. He’s often a sweeper far from his own goal, intercepting the ball with his feet, chest or head. His ability on the ball also makes him an important factor in Bayern’s build-up play.
Never-give-up attitude
Neuer has been captain at Bayern since 2017 and come to personify that never-give-up attitude. “To constantly improve, you also need to discuss things in uncomfortable detail even after wins,” he once said in an interview with members’ magazine ‘51’.
However, that isn’t to say Neuer has been spared setbacks and some bad injuries. He twice suffered a fractured metatarsal in 2017 and missed almost the whole of 2017/18 but battled back to his former self. And then a broken leg in December 2022 ruled the goalkeeper out for around 10 months. Again, his incredible desire saw him return between the sticks for Bayern at the end of October and simply pick up where he left off.
It means fans have even more reason now to be excited about the 37-year-old’s extension. And Neuer still isn’t done at Bayern: “I’m convinced we can achieve our big goals in the coming years together with our fans – and that obviously includes the Champions League final in Munich in 2025.”
Sven Ulreich has also extended his Bayern contract: