UEFA Men's Player of the Year nominee: the case for Manuel Neuer
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
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UEFA.com highlights 2019/20 UEFA Men's Player of the Year award contender Manuel Neuer.
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Manuel Neuer is on the three-man shortlist for the 2019/20 UEFA Men's Player of the Year award alongside Kevin De Bruyne and Robert Lewandowski. UEFA.com spells out the goalkeeper's credentials.
Jordan Maciel, UEFA.com Bayern reporter
Neuer reminded the world that he is among the very best goalkeepers in the game with three stellar performances in the UEFA Champions League final tournament in Lisbon. Big games are decided by big moments, and the Bayern captain delivered those with vital saves against Barcelona, Lyon and Paris at points when those games could easily have taken a different direction.
One of five players to feature in both of Bayern's treble wins, the 34-year-old was every bit as imposing a figure in 2019/20 as he was in 2012/13.
2019/20 in numbers
Achievements: UEFA Champions League winner, Bundesliga winner, German Cup winner.
UEFA Champions League
Appearances: 11
Goals conceded: 8
Clean sheets: 6
Domestic league
Appearances: 33
Goals conceded: 31
Clean sheets: 15
Top three moments
1. Thwarting Neymar and Kylian Mbappé in the UEFA Champions League as he became the first goalkeeper to win two trebles. Vice-captain of Bayern's treble-winning 2012/13 side, and the Germany team that won the 2014 World Cup, he was the first to receive the trophy in Lisbon.
2. Ensuring that Bayern made it to the final with an all action performance in the semi-final victory against Lyon. The 3-0 scoreline glossed over what was one of Bayern's few below-par showings of the season, Neuer's efforts ensuring it looked easy on paper.
3. Reading over his stats at the end of the season must have been a satisfying experience for Neuer. He conceded every 123 minutes on average in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League, and kept 15 clean sheets in 33 Bundesliga games.
What they say
"'Manu' was in amazing form for the whole of 2019/20 and is in a class of his own – amazing, unbelievable. I have nothing against Robert Lewandowski, he's a top-class goalscorer. But for me, the world footballer of the year is Manuel Neuer."
Joachim Löw, Germany coach
"Manuel is one of a kind. At Bayern, a goalkeeper is not permanently under siege. But he has to deliver in the few moments he is needed. When a striker has a 1v1 against Neuer, he hardly ever gets any joy. If you look at everything Manuel has won and how much he has contributed to the team's titles, you can say he is one of the very best of all time."
Oliver Kahn, former Bayern and Germany goalkeeper
"Manuel Neuer has been in an absolute superb form for weeks. His quality was unbelievable against us in the UEFA Champions League final. His performance was kind of a distortion of competition. He has taken goalkeeping to new heights."
Thomas Tuchel, Paris coach