Manuel Neuer’s move to Bayern in July 2011 was the beginning of an era of unprecedented success and records. As well as the treble in 2013 and winning seven of a possible eight Bundesliga titles, there have been plenty other trophies and accolades. Neuer, who today turns 34, hasn’t just established himself as Germany’s No.1 but one of the best in the world in net. He’s also worn the captain’s armband in Munich since summer 2017. To celebrate his birthday, fcbayern.com looks at his remarkable stats and facts.
Mr. Reliable
A look at Neuer’s numbers simply confirms his legendary status. Since his move to Bavaria, he’s kept a clean sheet in a remarkable 52% of his Bundesliga matches and is now within reach of the league’s record for shutouts, just 14 short of Oliver Kahn’s 204. Yet the 34-year-old has reached his total in 160 games fewer than Der Titan. The four-time World’s Best Goalkeeper has twice set the Bundesliga record for clean sheets, keeping 20 in 2014/15 and 2015/16, surpassing the previous best mark set by Kahn in 2001/02 (19). The legendary pair are currently both hold the record in the DFB Cup with 33 apiece.
A wall in every respect
The 2014 World Cup winner is also among the elite on the international stage. No one has kept more clean sheets in Europe’s top five leagues since 2011/12 than Neuer. In 241 appearances, the Bayern goalkeeper has kept the opposition at bay 126 times. Only the legendary Gianluigi Buffon (124 in 243 games) and Thibaut Courtois (123 from 288) come close. Looking just at Champions League games, Neuer’s class is even clearer. Since joining Bayern, he’s kept 35 clean sheets in the competition. There’s a large gap to second with Jan Oblak, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Buffon on 26.
An extra outfielder
The Bayern captain isn’t just valuable because of his saves on the line. No other goalkeeper reads the game like him. Since signing in Munich, Neuer has the best passing accuracy of all Bundesliga goalkeepers at 82%. He has also come off his line more often than anyone else to nullify dangerous attacks, doing so on 157 occasions.
Check out why Neuer is the Goatkeeper with his best saves and skills 👇
If you’re a fledgling goalkeeper or simply interested in the details behind football, take a look at the Manuel Neuer tutorial:
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