“There are some who could compete”

Former national soccer goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, 53, does not believe that injured Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, 36, will end his career prematurely. "I trust him to come back fully," said Lehmann in the Sky interview. “He has the advantage physically that he's better than most. Even if he dropped ten percent, he wouldn't be worse than the others," said Lehmann.

However, Lehmann believes that the Neuer injury means that the duel for the place in goal for the national team at Euro 2024 is open again. "I would wish Manuel again. But we have Kevin Trapp, Marc-André ter Stegen and Bernd Leno, who is playing well in the Premier League. Or Alexander Nübel if he stays abroad and maybe plays internationally there. There are some who could compete.”

Neuer broke his lower leg on a ski tour and is missing the German soccer record champions from Munich for the rest of the season. “We are examining various scenarios. But of course Alexander Nübel would be an obvious solution. In the end, AS Monaco has the last word," sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić recently told "Sport-Bild".

Nübel, 26, has a contract with FC Bayern until 2025, but is currently on loan in the French league because he no longer wanted to wait for appearances behind Neuer as number two. It is questionable whether he is ready to return to Munich early with the prospect of a new comeback in the fall.

For Lehmann, Nübel would also have to deal with new replacement Sven Ulreich, 34. "Whenever he had to play, he always played brilliantly. He played a big part in Bayern Munich becoming champions and cup winners in recent years. I know him from Stuttgart, where we played together and trained together. I know its potential. If Bayern get a new goalkeeper, he will have to compete with Sven Ulreich," said Lehmann, who played for the Swabians from 2008 to 2010.

Meanwhile, no Bundesliga goalkeeper was classified in the "kicker" ranking list at the end of the year in the world class category. Seven keepers, led by Dortmund's Gregor Kobel, made it into the international category. According to the assessment of the "kicker", the injured Neuer only just managed to do this.

Yann Sommer (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg) and Mark Flekken (SC Freiburg) placed between the winner Kobel and national goalkeeper Neuer in seventh place.