Manuel Neuer has come under a lot of criticism this season, with more and more opining that the Bayern Munich legend, who turns 39 in March, is past it and is not on the level Bayern needs anymore. Fellow Bayern legend Philipp Lahm went through a similar situation that Neuer is in right now, slowing down a lot in the 2016-17 season and ultimately deciding to end his career by the time the season ended. So if anyone knows what they are talking about, it would be the famous full back.
“He has to make the decision, and the right one. It’s a matter of feeling,” Lahm reminisced in comments captured via @iMiaSanMia. “I retired with the national team after the 2014 World Cup title and left Bayern three years later. I was captain in the two teams and at some point I realized: I can’t do that anymore.
“My priorities had shifted a bit, and in the end I made way for the others. Also to spend more time with my family. That’s a personal decision. It’s a competitive sport, your performances in the past don’t help you. You have to keep proving yourself and moving forward. As long as that’s the case, and that FC Bayern offers him a contract.”
So what does Lahm think? Is Neuer currently proving himself enough to warrant a new contract?
“He’s still at a great level. Perhaps he has a bit of a problem in that people always compare him to his best days, when he was ten steps ahead of everyone else,” Lahm opined. “He has taken goalkeeping to a new level. Back in his prime — I learned that word from my son [laughs] — he was by far the best goalkeeper in the world. He has gotten older and was injured for a year, we must not forget that. And that’s why we should not always compare him to his prime, but ask the question: is he performing well? And yes, he’s at FC Bayern. That is why he is in goal.”
One may have perhaps expected a more complicated conclusion than Bayern thinks it is a good idea to keep him, so it’s a good idea to keep him, but Lahm did provide valuable insight on the mindset of a footballer facing retirement. Bayern seems to think he is still good enough for a new contract, Neuer thinks he is still good enough for a new contract and sometimes that is all one needs. But the club and the former Schalke 04 goalkeeper will have to find the right time, like Lahm did, to make way for the new generation. Like it or not, Manuel Neuer’s time in goal for Bayern is nearing its end.
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