Firefighter Sven - Keeper Ulreich is always there when FC Bayern need him

Sven Ulreich has been a member of FC Bayern's senior squad for over nine years - but you usually won’t find the 37-year-old on the pitch. The goalkeeper is the number 3 behind Manuel Neuer and Jonas Urbig - but when they can't play, Ulreich has to step into the breach. "Like a firefighter", he says. Saturday will see Ulreich back between the posts for Bayern against Bayer 04 Leverkusen - his first competitive match in 539 days.

On 21 September 2024 in a sunny Bremen, Sven Ulreich went through his matchday preparation just like on any other day in his almost ten years at FC Bayern: "Hotel, sleep, walk, lunch - and then off to the game, it's basically always the same," revealed the goalkeeper, who has been at FC Bayern since 2015 with just one brief exception (he played on loan at Hamburger SV in 2020/21). There were no surprises for Ulreich in head coach Vincent Kompany's team briefing ahead of the match at Werder: Manuel Neuer was to start as usual, with Ulreich taking his place on the bench and keeping himself ready to support the five-time World Goalkeeper of the Year.

That's why Ulreich stuck to his usual pre-match ritual in the dressing room: "First the left boot, then the right one. Then the left glove, then the right one – though I do that less out of superstition and more simply because it's become a habit." And yet it wasn't Neuer, but Ulreich who was in goal for FC Bayern at the kick-off – for the 103rd time in a competitive match for the German record champions.

Neuer had felt a slight twinge in his thigh and cut short his warm-up as a precaution. Just a few days earlier in the Champions League, the first-choice keeper had remained in the dressing room at half-time as a precaution following a collision, with Ulreich taking over in the Bayern goal against Dinamo Zagreb. Without getting a single touch of the ball in the match, the substitute was helpless as his team conceded two quick-fire goals against Zagreb – though Manuel Neuer would also likely have been powerless to prevent either of them. “When it comes to the crunch, you have to be ready and put in a top performance. That’s my job,” says Ulreich. He adds: “People sometimes underestimate that: when you’ve been on the bench for a long time and haven’t played, it’s not that easy to get back into the rhythm. But I think I still manage to get back into it relatively quickly.” That was the case against Zagreb, when Ulreich subsequently prevented the equaliser with a brilliant save, and has actually always been the case during Ulreich’s time at FC Bayern. “Being a firefighter – you could certainly say that’s my role,” says the 37-year-old.

And so, in September 2024, Ulreich the firefighter was suddenly called upon against Werder Bremen. However, the substitute never once found himself under pressure – FC Bayern’s defence was so solid that Werder failed to muster a single shot on goal over the 90 minutes. Nevertheless, Ulreich had 32 touches and covered just over five kilometres during the match, according to the stats. FC Bayern won 5–0.

“Goalkeeping has changed completely since my youth,” says Ulreich. Back when he made 220 senior appearances for VfB Stuttgart, it was mainly about stopping shots. “During my time at FC Bayern, I've learnt a lot more about the game and developed significantly here.” In the past, the keeper explains, you had three or four back passes per match, “now we goalkeepers are firmly integrated into the build-up play, have plenty of touches and also have specific roles, particularly now under Vincent Kompany.”

It’s precisely when you’re thrown in at the deep end that you first have to find your confidence. Something that was harder for the young Sven Ulreich than for the experienced one: “I’ve become much more composed; that’s down to age and experience. I’ve long since come to terms with my role and am really enjoying the situation. It’s no longer the case that I wake up every morning thinking: ‘I have to play as number one somewhere now.’ No, I’m happy with the way things are.”

And FC Bayern are happy with him. “He’s a solid character and a reliable goalkeeper, with plenty of experience too; he’s played a lot of games in his career,” said Kompany on Friday ahead of the trip to Leverkusen. “The same applies to him as to Jonas Urbig. We’re not putting any extra pressure on him just because he’s getting his chance tomorrow. Ulle has always done well in training, and he should show that tomorrow; we have complete faith in our lads. We’ve already won matches with him in goal, and we aim to do that again tomorrow. It’s not about Ulle, but about the team’s performance,” concluded the Belgian.

Board member for sport Max Eberl also praised the number 26 during the pre-match press conference ahead of the upcoming Bundesliga game at Bayer 04 Leverkusen: “Sven is a great character; he’s been at FC Bayern for a very long time and knows his role and the situation when it comes to stepping in if someone is injured.” The Munich side are currently without Manuel Neuer (torn muscle) and Jonas Urbig (concussion), whom Ulreich welcomed with open arms to the record champions following his move to Munich in January 2025. “He accepted without complaint that Jonas had joined as a new second-choice goalkeeper. I always hear from the goalkeeping group how well the three of them get on, how brilliantly they train and how they challenge and support one another,” said Eberl.

The goalkeepers at FC Bayern share a friendly bond. Neuer, Urbig and Ulreich support one another, push each other on, and help one another – “and we also enjoy doing things together in our free time,” Ulreich revealed. For the Schorndorf-born player, there's no longer any sense of rivalry: “I feel right at home at FC Bayern. I really appreciate what I have here. We’re like a family.” A family where he looks forward to stepping in as the firefighter every single time.

All you need to know about the game at Leverkusen: