At Säbener Straße the Neuer era is quietly being wound down. Bayern Munich expect their captain to retire when his contract expires next summer, and the club has started lining up both the public send-off and the on-pitch succession, Abendzeitung München reported this week.
Sky Germany puts the probability still higher. The broadcaster now considers the 40-year-old’s retirement in the summer of 2027, when his contract runs out, “99.9 percent” certain.
Manuel Neuer himself has not formally said the words. Speaking to Sky Germany in August, he left a sliver of daylight.
“Nothing is 100 percent certain. It’s not set in stone, but the probability is high,” he told the broadcaster ahead of the new season.
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The injury that changed the tone
The sense of finality hardened on Saturday. Neuer was forced off shortly before half-time of a 2-1 Bundesliga win at Mainz after renewed discomfort in his right foot. Examinations the next day confirmed a partial tendon tear, Bayern announced.
Max Eberl, Bayern’s board member for sport, did not hide his concern at the final whistle.
“It’s the same problem he had before. It’s resurfaced now. We hope it’s not too serious,” Eberl said.
German newspaper Bild puts the layoff at around two months; Sky Germany gives at least six weeks. Either timeline rules Neuer out for the rest of 2026, with the 22-year-old Jonas Urbig in goal until the new year. The setback is his second this season after an earlier run of four matches missed with tendon irritation in the same foot, a Reuters wire report via The Star noted.
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A record set, then wiped off the agenda
The day the injury struck also delivered a milestone. His appearance at MEWA Arena made Neuer Bayern’s oldest-ever Bundesliga player at 40 years and 225 days, passing the previous mark of 40 years and 198 days held by Bernd Dreher, the league confirmed. It was his 394th Bundesliga outing for the club since joining from Schalke in 2011.
What Bayern are planning next
The internal thinking, per Abendzeitung München, is that Neuer reclaims the number one jersey once he is fit and sees the season out as first choice. The longer-term work has already begun: Bayern are scouting an experienced goalkeeper to stand behind Urbig from 2027-28, with Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann named as the preferred target and both Bernd Leno and Loris Karius on the list.
No formal talks with any of the three have been opened. Neuer’s contract runs to 30 June 2027.
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