Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has turned 40.
The number is quite the milestone in life. For some, it signifies life slowing down, but for others it is a more hectic period. For Neuer, it represents a new beginning. His world class career will come to an end after this season or next, but for a guy at an age where most folks see a steep drop-off in athletic ability, Neuer has seen a much slower decline.
Is he the same player he was at 27-years-old? No, but — somehow — he has not regressed all
that much. His instincts are still sharp, his confidence (especially with decision-making) is as high as ever, and he still has the inate desire to be great.
Bayern Munich is still lucky to have him.
While he has some lingering injury difficulties, Neuer is still pushing through. He wants to be there for his team…he wants to lead this team to one last great run at a treble. Sure, he could come back next season and do this all again, but fans would be lucky to see him donning the goalkeeper kit once again in 2026/27, even with the presence of Jonas Urbig, who looks more and more ready to succeed Neuer every day.
Today is a day for celebrating a legend, though, so let’s see who chimed in on Neuer’s landmark birthday:
Sven Ulreich (Bild via @iMiaSanMia)
“Dear Manu, I wish you all the best for your birthday. Most of all, good health and many wonderful moments with your loved ones, with your wonderful family, in the years to come. It is a great pleasure to have you as my friend. We’ve been teammates for several years now and have become good friends during that time. What I really appreciate about you is your loyalty and reliability. What you’ve achieved in your career is incredible. I wish for many more wonderful moments on the pitch with you and that we are very, very successful this year. And then we’ll see what happens next.”
Felix Magath (Bild via @iMiaSanMia)
“With a view to his performances, his importance to Bayern and the national team, and his achievements, I see Manuel on a par with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in his position. Looking back, the price [€30m fee Bayern paid Schalke] wasn’t just a bargain – it was a gift! Bayern ultimately got a world-class goalkeeper for 15 years. In today’s market, Manuel would certainly be worth around €150 million at his peak. For his 40th birthday, I wish Manuel all the best in making a decision about his future that will make him happy. I would say that he still has all the ability to continue. And my advice to him would be to make the most of that for as long as possible, meaning not to stop just yet.”
Gigi Buffon (Säbener51 via @iMiaSanMia)
“I first noticed him in 2011, when he played with Schalke at San Siro. He had a great physique, an imposing stature, and he seemed very motivated. A bit like how I was at the beginning of my career at Parma. I liked his attitude; he had exactly what it takes: lots of energy and self-confidence, sometimes bordering on euphoria when he came out of his line – but that’s part of being young. I first played against him later in a friendly between Germany and Italy. I was very curious to see him play live. I liked him and he made a big impression on me. In the 2014 World Cup, he gave the impression of being a goalkeeper who understood the game. He knew what was going to happen, he interacted with the team.
“With his timing, his strength, and his wonderful personality, he proved that this is the future of the position. I think he can keep going for another five years [laughs] No, jokes aside, he should stop when he thinks it’s the right time. I wish him all the best from the bottom of my heart and I congratulate him on the career he’s had at the highest level. And I would like to tell him that he shouldn’t rush into the decision, but rather take his time to listen to his inner voice. He doesn’t have to make a split-second decision like we goalkeepers usually do, but he does have to make the right one.
“Even though I never played for FC Bayern, I think I understand the club well because you can compare it to Juventus. Nothing is given to you; you can only stay as long as they see you as a true, serious professional. If you guarantee that you perform and behave properly. In my opinion, Bayern have always been strong because the average level of play was so high. Things went better at times and worse at others, but whether I think back to the Olympic Stadium where I used to play against them, or to the Champions League round of 16 in 2016 at the Allianz Arena: it was always incredibly tough to beat Bayern. You didn’t always know for sure if they would win the Champions League. But you always knew they were waiting for you in the quarterfinals. You can only congratulate the club on this achievement.”
This is no time to rest, though…Neuer will have a working birthday. His efforts are focused on a return to the pitch, especially with Urbig’s recent injury at German national team camp. Yeah, some folks might think that Neuer is an old man now (to some of us he’s still young!), but he still has unfinished business for Bayern Munich…and as Clint Eastwood movies have taught us, a focused, resourceful old fella can still do some great things, even in the most adverse of situations.
Song of the Week: “Hysteria” by Muse
Back in the early aughts, I would have invested heavily in Muse to be a band that produces 20-30 years of top quality music. Yes, they are still going and putting out good music, but — maybe — have not hit the cultural impact, I might have thought at that point.
Regardless, for a band formed way back in 1994, they are still going and that means something these days. Enjoy:
Entertainment Rundown
So, I am finally closing in on the end of Landman season two, but in all honestly, this recent illness is kicking my a$$, so progress has been very slow.
In the meantime, check out this little nugget on how close Steve Carell might have been to not even doing The Office:
Steve Carell says Paul Rudd advised him on the ‘Anchorman’ set that he shouldn’t audition for ‘THE OFFICE’.
“Our pilot was the lowest testing pilot in the history of NBC. People really hated it. They actively hated it. And I don’t quite know how it got legs after that.”
(Source: Good Hang with Amy Poehler)
Predictions
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
- Kazakhstan 2-1 Nambia (W)
- Kyrgyz Republic 1-1 Equatorial Guinea (L)
- US Virgin Islands 2-2 American Samoa (L)
- Congo DR 3-0 Bermuda (W)
- Puerto Rico 3-1 Guam (W)
Wednesday results (not included in totals below) 3-2
Thursday, March 26, 2026
- Aruba 2-1 Macau (W)
- Vietnam 1-2 Bangladesh (L)
- Tanzania 3-1 Liechtenstein (L)
- Moldova 1-3 Lithuania (W)
- Cyprus 2-1 Belarus (L)
- Georgia 3-1 Israel (L)
- Brazil 2-3 France (W)
- Martinique 1-0 Cuba (L)
- Bahamas 1-0 Anguilla (L)
- St. Martin 0-1 Barbados (L)
- Colombia 1-2 Croatia (W)***
- Cayman Islands 1-1 British Virgin Islands (W)***
- Dominican Republic 1-2 El Salvador (L)
- Bonaire 2-1 St. Vincent and the Grenadines (W)
- Chile 3-0 Cape Verde (W)
- Bolivia 1-0 Suriname (W)
- New Caledonia 1-2 Jamaica (W)
- Türkiye 2-0 Romania (W)
- Czechia 2-1 Republic of Ireland (W)
- Denmark 3-0 North Macedonia (W)
- Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland (W)***
- Latvia 1-0 Gibraltar (W)
- Malta1-2 Luxembourg (W)
- Poland 3-0 Albania (W)
- Slovakia 2-1 Kosovo (L)
- Ukraine 2-1 Sweden (L)
- Wales 1-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina (L)
Thursday results (not included in totals below) 16-11
Friday, March 27, 2026
- China 2-1 Curacao
- New Zealand 1-2 Finland
- Solomon Islands 1-2 Bulgaria
- Australia 3-2 Cameroon
- Venezuela 2-0 Trinidad and Tobago
- Benin 1-0 Liberia
- Indonesia 2-1 St. Kitts and Nevis
- Togo 2-1 Guinea
- Uzbekistan 2-0 Gabon
- Azerbaijan 3-0 St. Lucia
- Kenya 1-2 Estonia
- Russia 2-1 Nicaragua
- Austria 2-0 Ghana
- Jordan 1-3 Costa Rica
- Montenegro 2-1 Andorra
- South Africa 1-2 Panama
- Saudi Arabia 1-2 Egypt
- Iran 1-2 Nigeria
- Greece 2-1 Paraguay
- Guyana 2-1 Dominica
- Niger 1-2 Libya
- Rwanda 1-0 Grenada
- Algeria 2-1 Guatemala
- England 3-1 Uruguay
- Netherlands 1-2 Norway
- Switzerland 1-3 Germany
- Spain 3-0 Serbia
- Morocco 2-1 Ecuador
- Belize 2-0 Sint Maarten
- Argentina 4-0 Mauritania
Saturday, March 28, 2026
- Namibia 2-0 Comoros
- Zambia 2-1 Malawi
- Kyrgyz Republic 2-2 Madagascar
- San Marino 1-1 Faroe Islands
- South Korea 2-1 Ivory Coast
- Senegal 2-1 Peru
- Canada 2-1 Iceland
- Hungary 2-1 Slovenia
- Scotland 3-2 Japan
- United States 2-2 Belgium
- Haiti 2-0 Tunisia
- Mexico 0-4 Portugal
Sunday, March 29, 2026
- Lithuania 1-2 Georgia
- Armenia 2-1 Belarus
- Colombia 1-3 France
- Martinique 1-2 El Salvador
- Barbados 2-0 St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- British Virgin Islands 1-0 Anguilla
- Dominican Republic 1-1 Cuba
- Cayman Islands 1-1 Bahamas
- Bonaire 1-2 St. Martin
- Cape Verde 1-3 Finland
Monday, March 30, 2026
- New Zealand 1-2 Chile
- Trinidad and Tobago 2-1 Gabon
- Uzbekistan 1-2 Venezuela
- Cyprus 2-1 Moldova
- Germany 2-0 Ghana
- Guyana 1-1 Belize
- Dominica 1-0 Sint Maarten
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
- Cameroon 2-1 China
- Australia 3-0 Curacao
- Guinea 2-1 Benin
- Kazakhstan 3-0 Comoros
- Liberia 2-0 Libya
- Montenegro 1-2 Slovenia
- Niger 1-0 Togo
- Norway 2-2 Switzerland
- San Marino 1-0 Andorra
- Serbia 2-1 Saudi Arabia
- Haiti 1-2 Iceland
- Hungary 3-2 Greece
- Jordan 1-2 Nigeria
- Russia 3-0 Mali
- South Africa 1-1 Panama
- Iran 1-3 Costa Rica
- Morocco 2-1 Paraguay
- Peru 2-0 Honduras
- Algeria 1-2 Uruguay
- Scotland 1-1 Ivory Coast
- Austria 3-1 South Korea
- England 3-0 Japan
- Netherlands 3-0 Ecuador
- Senegal 3-1 Gambia
- Spain 3-0 Egypt
- United States 0-4 Portugal
- Argentina 5-0 Zambia
- Canada 3-0 Tunisia
- Brazil 2-1 Croatia
- Mexico 1-2 Belgium
Prediction Records
- Total: 422-260
- Perfect Picks: 40
- Bundesliga Last Matchday: 5-4
- Bundesliga Overall: 136-107
- DFB-Pokal: 49-11
- World Cup Qualifiers/Friendlies: 99-45
- Champions League: 94-74
- Club World Cup: 39-23
- Club Friendlies: 4-0
- Franz Beckenbauer Supercup: 1-0
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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