Setback for Neuer at 40: Bild raises questions over goalkeeper's future

Manuel Neuer left the pitch in Mainz on Saturday with an injury, unable to complete the first half during Bayern Munich’s 2-1 victory. Troubled by his right foot, the 40-year-old goalkeeper gave way to Jonas Urbig after sitting on the grass to receive treatment from the medical staff.

The incident comes at the worst possible time: Neuer had only just returned to action after several weeks out. It marks another relapse of the persistent right-foot tendinitis that had already ruled him out of matches against Freiburg, Magdeburg and Dortmund. The injury occurred during an action that led to a goal eventually disallowed for offside.

The 2014 World Cup winner had himself given an alarming account of his physical condition after Bayern’s Champions League encounter with Atlético Madrid. “I’m in pain every day when I walk. And this morning again, when I got up, I was in pain walking,” he said. To try to ease his discomfort, the Bayern goalkeeper had resorted to ice baths, notably at 14 degrees — precautions that have not been enough to prevent another relapse.

After the match in Mainz, Bayern sporting director Max Eberl made no attempt to hide his concern: “It’s what he already had on his foot. It’s come back. We hope it’s not too serious.”

In Germany, tabloid Bild has gone a step further, openly questioning whether this setback could ultimately mark the end of the career of one of football’s greatest goalkeepers. At 40, with a tendinitis resistant to treatment and repeated relapses, the question of his ability to maintain himself at the highest level now arises with every new physical alert.