Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge hails Manuel Neuer as the ‘best goalkeeper of all time’ after claiming German is ‘like a red wine that matures each year’
- Karl-Heinz Rummenigge backs Manuel Neuer to keep improving even at 34
- Bayern Munich chief claims he has taken goalkeeping to a new level
- Neuer’s team-mate Robert Lewandowski was also praised by Rummenigge
- He backs the Polish striker to win ‘best men’s player’ at FIFA awards this month
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has lauded Manuel Neuer as the best goalkeeper of all-time and has vowed there is still more to come from Bayern Munich’s No 1.
After missing nearly the entire 2017-18 season through a metatarsal injury and suffering a slump in form afterwards, there were fears the Germany international had past his best and wasbon the downturn of his career.
But having helped steer Bayern to Champions League success last term, he has again gathered his imperious form which he has shown throughout most of his time at the Allianz Arena since joining the club from Schalke nine years ago.
Manuel Neuer (above) has been labelled as the best goalkeeper of all time by Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Even though the keeper is approaching the latter part of his career, Bayern chief Rummenigge believes Neuer continues to improve each season.
‘Manuel Neuer is 34 now, and he’s just getting better and better,’ he told Bundesliga.com. ‘He’s like a red wine that matures each year.
‘He anticipates pretty much every shot, wherever it comes from, and makes the save. We’ve seen that in the last couple of weeks in the Bundesliga and in the Champions League.
Neuer has returned to his best form having struggled since a season ending injury in 2017
Neuer’s ‘sweeper keeper’ role has taken goalkeeping to a new level in the last decade
‘He’s the best goalkeeper in the world, I think he’s even the best goalkeeper of all time.
‘We’ve always had good goalkeepers in Germany, at Bayern, when you talk about Sepp Maier or Oliver Kahn, but I think Manuel Neuer has taken goalkeeping to a new level, and we’re really happy that he’s lining up between the sticks for us.’
Neuer’s Bayern team-mate Robert Lewandowski has also been singled out for praise by Rummenigge after a stunning 2020.
Rummenigge (above) believes Neuer will only continue to improve and he has also singled out praise for the goalkeeper’s team-mate Robert Lewandowski
The Polish striker was favourite to win the Ballon d’Or this year, only for the award to be cancelled citing unfair playing conditions with many leagues not resuming after the coronaviurs outbreak.
Yet Rummenigge is pleased Lewandowski, who scored 55 goals in 47 appearances in 2019-20 and has 15 in 14 this season, could now get the recognition he feels he deserves at the FIFA ‘The Best’ awards to take place in Zurich on December 17, where he is in line to be named ‘best men’s player’.
‘Firstly, I think it’s good that FIFA are continuing with the vote this year. It wasn’t clear whether it would happen’, he added.
Lewandowski is among the favourites to win FIFA’s ‘best men’s player’ award this month
The Polish striker’s goal helped the club win the Champions League back in August
‘I spoke with the FIFA president about it a couple of times, I told him that we have this vote every year and football has been played this year, you can’t forget that. The Bundesliga was completed, the major leagues in Europe were all decided, the Champions League was completed, and I told him, if in ten years it says “2021 he won, 2022 he won” but there’s a gap in 2020, for me that would be a mistake that you could still correct.
‘And I’m happy that FIFA have brought it back, I hope that Robert wins, he’s had an amazing year, I think Robert Lewandowski is in the form of his life, despite the fact he’s 32 now, but it’s not a foregone conclusion.
‘I would like him to win, I hope he wins, he’ll have earned it, but we’ll have to wait and see if he does win it at the end of the day.’