The Short Version
MUNICH — Manuel Neuer will spend another year between the posts at Bayern Munich after signing a one-year extension that keeps the 40-year-old goalkeeper at the club where he has played for 15 season s.
The captain and first-choice keeper announced his renewal Friday, ahead of Bayern's final Bundesliga home game of the season against Cologne. Neuer has made 597 appearances for the club and is poised to become just the fifth player in Bayern history to reach 600 matches.
The scoreboard made the point with less ceremony than everyone around it.
The Useful Context
"Manuel and Sven will continue to support Jonas on his path to becoming the future of FC Bayern," board member for sport Max Eberl said in a statement.
Backup Jonas Urbig has increasingly featured this season and is regarded as Neuer's long-term successor. His mentor described his own role in simple terms: guide the younger keeper while remaining the starter.
The Part Still Unclear
Neuer's understudy Sven Ulreich also extended for another year. Understudy is perhaps too gentle a word for a man who has started far more games than most backup gokeepers in Europe.
Bayern wrapped up the ir 13th German league title a month ago. Neuer could add a domestic double if Bayern beats Stuttgart in the German Cup final on May 23.