The Lineup Loses Its Shape
MUNICH — Manuel Neuer has extended his Bayern Munich contract for another year, keeping the 40-year-old goalkeeper at the club as he mentors his long-term successor.
Neuer will head into his 15th season at Bayern, remaining captain and first-choice goalkeeper despite fitness issues this campaign. He has played 597 times for the club and is set to become the fifth player in Bayern history to reach 600 appearances.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
That a player needs just three more games to hit a milestone most never reach tells you how long Neuer has been the answer in Munich.
The Replacement Question
Backup Jonas Urbig is considered Neuer's long-term successor and has increasingly been given games this season. Neuer's role now includes mentoring Urbig.
"Manuel and Sven will continue to support Jonas on his path to becoming the future of FC Bayern," Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl said in a statement.
Sven Ulreich, Neuer's long-time understudy, has also signed on for another year.
The Waiting Game
Neuer won his 13th German league title with Bayern a month ago and could make it a domestic double for the first time since 2020 if Bayern beats Stuttgart in the German Cup final on May 23.
The club announced the extensions on Friday, a day before Bayern's final Bundesliga game of the season at home to Cologne.
That a 40-year-old remains the first choice says something about the quality gap below him — and about how rarely Bayern have had to plan for this particular transition.