Bayern captain Manuel Neuer will not play again this season. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper has suffered a broken leg while skiing, he announced on Instagram. Neuer has gone under the knife and writes that the operation went well.
“What can I say about this… The year could definitely have ended better,” says Neuer, who was eliminated from the World Cup with the German national team nine days ago. ‘While trying to take my mind off skiing I suffered a fracture in my lower leg. The operation went well. Many thanks to the doctors! But it hurts to realize that the current season is over for me.’
The 36-year-old Neuer played in all Germany’s matches at the World Cup and is also the first goalkeeper at Bayern. He has been sidelined for almost a month this season due to a shoulder injury. Sven Ulreich was his replacement during that period. Neuer has had to deal with serious injuries more often in his career: he broke his metatarsal bone in September 2017, which meant that he was sidelined for more than eight months.
Neuer set a World Cup record in Qatar. He was on the World Cup stage for the nineteenth time against Costa Rica, leaving compatriot Sepp Maier and Brazilian Claudio Taffarel behind.
He will look back on his record match with very little pleasure. Despite the victory over Costa Rica, the German ambitions came to an end in the first round. He also conceded two goals.
Neuer himself also realizes that there was enough to criticize the German performance in Qatar. “Of course we are all frustrated. It’s hard to process this. We definitely need to look to understand what happened here. That should be clear,” said the goalkeeper, who is not considering stopping as an international. “As long as I’m invited and perform, I can rule out quitting.”
