How far will Manuel Neuer go? At 40, the legendary German goalkeeper continues to push the limits of longevity, but his body now seems to remind him of the weight of the years. This Saturday, during Bayern Munich’s victory on the Mainz pitch (2-1), the 2014 world champion experienced another nightmarish afternoon. Having just returned from injury, Neuer didn’t even last a half before having to give way to Jonas Urbig. On an action which led to a goal ultimately disallowed for offside, the Bavarian goalkeeper felt new pain in his right foot, forcing him to sit on the pitch to receive treatment. A particularly worrying relapse for someone who had just returned to the field after several weeks of hardship. Ironically, Neuer became that same Saturday, at 40 years and 225 days, the oldest player in the history of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, surpassing Bernd Dreher.
Because this new injury is not trivial. For several weeks, Manuel Neuer has been suffering from persistent tendinitis in his right foot, which had already forced him to miss the matches against Freiburg, Magdeburg and Dortmund. Returning to the cages against Atlético de Madrid in the Champions League, the German goalkeeper had also made particularly worrying revelations about his physical state. “I hurt every day when I walk. And again this morning, when I got up, I had pain again when walking”he confided on Amazon Prime after the meeting. To try to relieve his pain, Neuer even explained that he resorted to cold water baths, particularly in water at 14 degrees. But these efforts will clearly not have been enough. After the match against Mainz, Max Eberl, sporting director of Bayern, did not hide his concern. “That’s what he already had on his feet. It resurfaced. We hope it’s not too serious. »
Germany fears one too many injuries
And this new relapse is seriously starting to make people talk in Germany. In its columns, Bild openly wonders about the possibility that this meeting against Mainz will ultimately mark the end of Manuel Neuer’s immense career. A prospect difficult to imagine for one of the greatest goalkeepers in history, but which seems less and less inconceivable given his repeated physical problems. The Bavarian goalkeeper has already had to leave the field due to injury four times since the start of 2026, while his recent performances have also been marked by several unusual errors. An accumulation which inevitably revives the debate around its ability to continue to evolve at the highest level.
For Bayern Munich, this situation is becoming a real headache. If Neuer retains a special status within the club, his physical state is worrying, while Jonas Urbig appears to be his natural successor. Part of the German press is also beginning to question the need to definitively turn the page rather than seeing the 2014 world champion multiply his hasty returns and relapses. At 40, each new physical scare brings Neuer a little closer to the end of his career and according to the German media, Manuel Neuer, tired and worn out by injuries, could well decide to stop sooner than expected…
