Soccer national goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from FC Bayern Munich broke his lower leg on a ski tour. The current season was over for him, the 36-year-old said on Saturday on social networks. “What can I say, the end of the year could have gone better,” wrote the football professional on Instagram. He wanted to clear his head while ski touring and broke his lower leg in the process. “Yesterday’s surgery went very well,” he wrote. In addition, Neuer posted a picture of himself in the hospital bed.
“This is very bitter news at the end of the year. We are glad that the operation went well and wish Manu a good and speedy recovery. That is currently the most important thing,” said national coach Hansi Flick in a press release from the German Football Association.
“The news of Manuel’s injury shocked us all. We will stand by him and accompany him on his way to his comeback,” said Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn in a statement from the record champions. “He will recover from this serious injury and come back to the pitch as strong as ever.”
Sports director Hasan Salihamidzic was also sad. “It’s terrible that Manuel had such an accident, and of course all our thoughts are with him,” said the former professional: “I spoke to him yesterday and today, the surgery went as well as possible.” Neuer is “a strong personality and will come back,” said Salihamidzic.
Neuer will be missing from Munich for the rest of the first half of the season and for the rest of the second half of the season. The 117-time national player had been slowed down again and again by injuries in the previous season and only regained his fitness shortly before the World Cup. He had previously been sidelined for weeks due to an acromioclavicular joint injury and was replaced by Sven Ulreich. In the first half of the season he only played twelve league games. Only in the 3-2 win against Hertha BSC did Neuer make his comeback at the beginning of November.
After the early end of the World Cup in Qatar, some experts also criticized Neuer’s performance. The captain then ruled out his resignation from the national team. However, Neuer had expressed his deep disappointment. “It’s brutally frustrating that we haven’t been able to perform consistently. It will take some time to process all of this,” he wrote. Germany were eliminated after the World Cup group stage after losing to Japan, drawing against Spain and beating Costa Rica.
