Translated by

Manuel Neuer makes history against Real Madrid: FC Bayern legend proves the press wrong

In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer proved to be the match-winner. In doing so, he even set a new record.

As the statistics portal OPTA reports, the 40-year-old goalkeeper for Germany’s record champions is the first goalkeeper since detailed statistics began to be recorded to have made nine saves in a knockout match against Real Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.

With nine shots on his goal and a Real Madrid xG of 2.0, Neuer kept out a goal from the Blancos in his Munich side’s 2-1 victory on Tuesday evening.
Neuer was the standout performer against the Royals, making several strong saves against their attack led by Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior, and was presented with the official ‘Man of the Match Award’ by UEFA after the final whistle.

AFP
Neuer faces criticism from the Spanish press
His strong performance must have been particularly satisfying for the 40-year-old, given that the Spanish press had previously expressed serious doubts as to whether Bayern should even include him in the starting line-up, given his somewhat shaky performances of late.
In the run-up to the clash, the German record champions’ goalkeeper was the subject of a feature in the Spanish sports newspaper Marca entitled: “Neuer is losing his edge”. Among other things, the article stated that the former national team goalkeeper was travelling to Madrid “with many question marks hanging over him”.
Neuer had also been the centre of attention in the last direct clash between the Blancos and Bayern. On that occasion, after a 2-2 draw in the first leg, the FCB had taken a 1-0 lead in the return leg thanks to strong saves by the 40-year-old, before he let a seemingly harmless shot from Vinicius Junior bounce past him just a few minutes from time. Real striker Joselu took full advantage and slotted home to level the scores. A few minutes later, the Spaniard even went on to score the winning goal.
Getty Images
High praise for Neuer: "I think he's incredibly good"
This time, Neuer came out on top and drove the Real strikers to utter despair with his saves. "The way he saved today was perfect," praised his former teammate Mats Hummels, speaking as a TV pundit on Prime Video. "There’s no need to beat about the bush – top marks, a world-class performance."
Former international Christoph Kramer also raved about Neuer’s performance: “The fact that he’s still the best goalkeeper in the world – we all saw the game today – is simply a fact. And it will stay that way for as long as he plays. I think he’s inhumanly good.”