The German selection lives a real earthquake. Beaten in Slovakia (1-0) on the first day of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, she underwent her very first defeat outside in the history of world qualifiers. An electroshock which upset the Mannschaft and which relaunches an unexpected debate: that of a comeback of a player who had ended his international career last year.
Schweinsteiger calls Neuer in reinforcement
Bastian Schweinsteiger rose the wick. TV consultant During the meeting, the former Bayern midfielder openly pleaded for the return of Manuel Neuer to selection. “I look around and I see only one solution: Neuer”, He said on Ard, highlighting the intact aura of the Munich goalkeeper, still decisive at the Club World Cup. In his eyes, his experience and his charisma remain essential to restore confidence to a team that has lost its bearings.
The urgency is explained by the long unavailability of Marc-André Ter Stegen, operated on the back and now lining at Barça. Julian Nagelsmann entrusted the cages to Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), but defeat in Slovakia has revived all concerns. For Schweinsteiger, only one man embodies stability: the 2014 world champion, with his 124 selections.
A critical situation for Germany
Beyond the sporting issue, this controversy reveals the deep discomfort that affects German football. The image of a team hooked by their own supporters and unable to convince worries less than a year from the World Cup. And the prospect of a return from Neuer, although surprising, crystallizes the expectation of a leader to put the team back on the rails.
If Neuer agreed to return, it would be a strong scenario: that of a retired recalled to save the honor of a nation in full doubt. It remains to be seen whether Nagelsmann and the DFB will take this step. Germany has already written history by taking its first defeat in global qualification. She could again mark it by recalling the man who led her to the top in 2014.
