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Manuel Neuer has spent the better part of two decades redefining what it means to play goalkeeper. Now, at 40 years old, he wants to redefine what it means to leave on top.
The Bayern Munich captain has set his sights on a third Champions League title during the 2026/27 season, which he has strongly hinted will be his last. His contract with the Bavarian club runs until June 30, 2027, and rather than coasting toward a farewell tour of handshakes and testimonial matches, Neuer is treating this final campaign like a mission.
One more dance in Madrid
Bayern Munich’s Champions League journey this season kicks off with a league phase match against FK Bodo/Glimt on September 10, 2026. The road ends, for whoever survives, at the final in Madrid on June 5, 2027.
With over 160 Champions League appearances, he holds the record for the most by a German player in the competition’s history. He lifted the trophy in 2013, when Bayern dismantled Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, and again in 2020, when they steamrolled through a pandemic-altered tournament in Lisbon.
That 2020 triumph made Neuer the only goalkeeper in history to win the European treble twice.
Neuer has made clear that winning the Champions League one more time would carry enormous personal significance. He has acknowledged the difficulty of the task, naming Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, and Barcelona among the formidable opponents standing in Bayern’s way.
PSG, in particular, carry some sting. Bayern were eliminated by the Parisian club in the semi-finals of last season’s Champions League, ending their 2025/26 campaign one round short of the final.
The case for one more year
Neuer himself estimated there was an 85% chance he would have retired before this season even started, if not for the quality of the current Bayern squad.
A man who has captained Bayern Munich since 2017, who has collected more than 30 major trophies across his career, who was born on March 27, 1986, and is now playing elite professional football at an age when most goalkeepers have long since transitioned to coaching or punditry. He almost walked away. The squad around him changed his mind.
Goalkeepers age differently than outfield players. Gianluigi Buffon played until 45. Dino Zoff won a World Cup at 40.
What Bayern need to get right
PSG knocked them out last season. Arsenal have evolved into genuine contenders under Mikel Arteta. Barcelona remain capable of producing the kind of attacking football that can overwhelm anyone on a given night. These are the clubs Neuer specifically identified as threats.
Neuer’s durability has been tested before. He missed nearly two full seasons from 2017 to 2019 with foot injuries, and suffered a broken leg in a skiing accident in late 2022 that sidelined him for most of 2023.
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