Manuel Neuer will be staying at FC Bayern until at least 2024, after the 36-year-old captain signed a new contract at the club. For anyone thinking he’s lost any of his ability down the years, you’re wrong. Neuer shows his skill in the Bayern goal week after week as he constantly denies opponents. fcbayern.com marks his contract extension with a look back at some of his most extraordinary saves. Here’s Part 2…
1. The Lisbon Wall
Neuer was up against two of the best attackers in Europe in Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in the 2020 Champions League final, but they never managed to get past the Bayern skipper. Among several world-class stops, his saves in the 18th minute are perhaps the most memorable. Neuer first denied Neymar one-on-one before getting back up to thwart the Brazilian yet again. A further highlight was in the 89th minute when Neuer used his feet to block an Mbappe effort from close range. Bayern’s No.1 rightly got up with his first clenched. It was a save he had to make even though the Frenchman was offside. PSG coach Thomas Tuchel later joked that having Neuer as a goalkeeper was akin to “match fixing” after leaving the Parisians without a goal for the first time since 2016.
2. Neuer secures eighth Bundesliga title
Robert Lewandowski put Bayern ahead away at Werder Bremen in their decisive Bundesliga title match on 16 June 2020, but the celebrations were almost delayed. Only an outstanding stop from Neuer in added time ensured that the title would be wrapped up. Like in Part 1, a Yuya Osako header was goal bound until the GOATkeeper popped up. Celebrations of the save soon turned into a party for the club’s eighth straight Bundesliga title.
3. The arm of Manu
Bayern blew a two-goal lead in the 2020 Supercup and almost went behind against Borussia Dortmund. Not long after equalising, Erling Haaland ran clean through on Neuer’s goal, targeting the left corner from just inside the box. But the two-time treble winner stayed up, made himself big and flung out an arm. The ball bounced back off that extremity as Bayern went on to lift the trophy.
4. Neuer keeps Bayern in Sevilla game
The 2020 UEFA Super Cup was a thriller that went all the way to extra-time. The only reason it even got that far was because of Neuer. The Champions League winner produced saved after save, denying Luuk de Jong in the 46th minute from close range, and thwarting Youssef En-Nesyri twice in the 87th and 91st minute for what would have been certain winners. It all set it up for Javi Martinez to head Bayern to victory.
5. Salzburg baffled by Neuer
You could see the disbelief on the face of Red Bull Salzburg’s Enock Mwepu in December 2020. “How did he save that?“ was the message in his eyes. It was after Neuer had denied Mergim Berisha and the ball landed at the feet of Mwepu. The Zambian immediately tried to finish but Neuer appeared in the way and turned the ball over the crossbar with his shoulder.
6. Quick feet
Fans are usually already on their feet ready to celebrate when a striker is one-on-one with a goalkeeper. But not when that goalkeeper is Neuer. The Bayern No.1 is one of the toughest men to beat in those situations, regularly pulling out brilliant reaction stops. Just like against Hoffenheim in January 2021. Ihlas Bebou suddenly appeared in front of Neuer but the skipper managed to stick out a foot and block the Hoffenheim forward’s certain goal.
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Part 1 of our Neuer saves features Marco Reus, Yussuf Poulsen and a Champions League highlight:
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