It’s been one step forward, two steps back on more than one occasion for Manuel Neuer so far this season with Bayern Munich, and the veteran goalkeeper suffered his latest setback in the weekend’s 2–1 win at Mainz.
After making a diving effort to punch clear Nadiem Amiri’s free kick — which was ultimately put in by Jae-sung Lee just before halftime — Neuer reaggravated the foot that has been troubling him for most of this season and had to be replaced by Jonas Urbig. To add insult to injury, quite
literally, Lee’s goal was disallowed as VAR showed he was in a marginally offside position when Amiri sent in his free kick. Neuer couldn’t have known any better from his vantage point, however, and did what he had to do, ultimately paying a price for it.
Unfortunately, the club has confirmed that Neuer is now set to be out until at least the new year after suffering a partial tendon tear in his right foot—the same foot that has been giving him issues off and on for quite some time. Thankfully for Bayern, Urbig didn’t come away too seriously injured after his collision with Borussia Dortmund’s Carney Chukwuemeka in the first half of the 2-2 draw with Dortmund two weeks ago. Given the nature of the knee-to-head collision Urbig received (albeit accidental), he avoided anything worse than a temporary concussion, meaning Bayern will, in theory, turn to third-string goalkeeper Sven Ulreich once the international break concludes.
As per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, given that Neuer will now be out for several weeks and his contract with Bayern is set to expire this coming summer, retirement now seems like the most likely option after this season concludes. There has been nothing concrete from the club or the keeper yet to indicate that he’s definitely going to retire — or at least call it quits with Bayern—but his recent injury history suggests that his body might be calling time on his playing days.
Whether his retirement comes this summer or later, Neuer will leave behind an unrivaled legacy spanning his achievements with both Bayern and the German national team. He still has plenty of time to continue mentoring and molding Urbig into Bayern’s eventual number-one goalkeeper, meaning he still has a lot to give FC Bayern.
