'I felt like sh*t' - Bayern Munich 'keeper Neuer admits he feels guilty for breaking his leg while skiing

Bayern Munich goalkeeper conceded he felt guilty after a freak skiing accident that left him out for the rest of the season with a broken leg.

"Something under the snow" caused injury
Needed emergency surgery
Goalkeeper "hurt the people around me"

WHAT HAPPENED? Neuer revealed that it was an emotional time after he sustained a serious leg injury while skiing last month. The German national team and Bayern Munich goalkeeper conceded that he felt like he let the team down. Neuer also pointed out that the Bayern board was "in shock" after learning about his emergency surgery.

WHAT THEY SAID: Neuer explained why he decided to go skiing after Germany were knocked out of the World Cup — an activity that would typically be associated with a significant risk of injury.

"I sat here at home and felt like sh*t," Neuer said in an interview with The Atheltic. "I couldn’t sit still, I didn’t want to see the games at first, either. I couldn’t take it."

Article continues below

The sidelined goalkeeper also explained how it felt to have to call friends and team-mates, saying: "What floors you is telling people around you what happened, that you need surgery. I was very emotional, it really got to me...I had a lump in my throat and the tears were falling."

Still, the 36-year-old asserted he will return to football, despite the magnitude of the injury.

Next Match

"When it turned out it was operable, I was confident everything would be fine," he said.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Bayern acted quickly after Neuer's injury, bringing in Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer on an 18-month contract. He is expected to be the first choice keeper until Neuer makes a full recovery.

IN THREE PHOTOS: