Bayern Munich’s Daniel Peretz has had to wait a while for this opportunity. Following his transfer to Munich in the summer of 2023, a move rather overshadowed by the acquisitions of Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur and Kim Minjae from SC Napoli, Peretz has had to bide his time as third choice goalkeeper behind Sven Ulreich and Manuel Neuer. Overcoming a big injury to start the season, the Israelian goalkeeper finally received his chance to play after Ulreich became unavailable due to personal reasons and Neuer hurt his rib, standing between the sticks as Bayern’s #1 for 4 straight games.
And Peretz took a lot of joy from his performances in those games: “Manuel Neuer texted me before my first game: ‘Good luck, enjoy it and just be yourself.’ – That helped me a lot, it’s not a given that he would send me a message like that. It’s not easy to be back in full swing after 12-14 months without any match practice. But I had always prepared myself for this moment in my head,” Peretz stated, via @iMiaSanMia. “And now I’m really happy that I was able to show in the last few games: Yes, I’m here, I can compete at this level. The hard work is paying off – and my hunger for more has been awakened.”
Of course, Neuer is currently on track to be fit to play once Bayern’s winter break ends, meaning Peretz may have to bide his time a little longer. But, having waited for so long for his first chance, he has proven he has the patience to stick around.
