‘It’s one hundred percent Manuel Neuer'

The Beatles are already there, as are Albert Einstein, Michael Jackson and Julia Roberts. From the sporting world, Franz Beckenbauer, Dirk Nowitzki and Oliver Kahn are present and correct. And the next man up is: Manuel Neuer! The world’s best keeper and FC Bayern number one was at Madame Tussauds in Berlin on Monday evening to unveil a wax figurine of himself.

“It captures a moment from the World Cup final before we took the lead,” explained the world champion keeper, who is depicted in his green Germany shirt about to throw the ball into open play. The figurine bears a rather serious expression, but the real Neuer wore a grin when he said: “It’s one hundred percent Manuel Neuer. It’s a figure for all time.”

Neuer was obliged to maintain his pose for three hours when he modelled for the figurine, the product of meticulous work by a team of 20 artists. According to the world goalkeeper of the year, the wax Manu from the World Cup final against Argentina on 13 July is already a purely historical document. “We’re hoping for great things this season,” the Bayern man declared. FCB travel to Wolfsburg for the Bundesliga restart fixture on Friday. “We’re definitely not done yet,” Neuer promised.

Berlin has a very special place in Munich’s sporting sights this season, as the Olympic Stadium is the venue for both the DFB Cup final on 30 May and the Champions League final on 6 June. “It’s very special,” Neuer remarked. “We’ve had a Champions League final in Munich but unfortunately lost. Maybe we’ll get a second chance to see if we can decide the final in Berlin in our favour.”