Sports Nicknames - Manu

Manuel Neuer is one of those goalkeepers that you can point at as a revolutionary one. Leading by example, "Manu" (as he is affectionately called by Munich fans) has made the "sweeper-keeper" the dominant form of the last decade. Add in the fact that he is also extremely good at keeping the ball out of the net and you have one of the best keepers in the world, much less Germany.



Neuer started his career with the youth system of FC Schalke 04 before making his breakthrough in the 2008 Champions League against Porto. From there on, he became Schalke's starting goalkeeper for the next 2 years before leaving for Bayern Munich.

It's been at Munich that Neuer has risen to the top of the world. He has helped the club dominate the Bundesliga for most of a decade, winning league titles every year from 2012/13 to 2019/20 (at the time of writing). He Has also helped them to 5 different DFB-Pokal trophies and 2 UEFA Champions League titles. Of course, this is ignoring his exploits with the German national team, which he kept going until they held the World Cup in 2014.

Neuer is more than just a great stopper of shots. He has a large amount of technical skills that allow him to play the ball out from tight spaces and even fool opposing players on the dribble. Gianluigi Buffon, widely considered one of the best goalkeepers to ever play the game, also described Neuer as the best keeper of his era in the air.

Manuel Neuer has won almost everything there is to win. Despite the fact that he is now reaching his mid-30s, he is still going strong in starting for the Bundesliga champions. How much longer can he do it? Nobody knows, but we should enjoy every moment.

--

Click for more Sports Nicknames