Manuel Neuer's return for the World Cup is the subject of heated debate. Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann explains his U-turn on one of the most important positions at the squad announcement.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann is taking returnee Manuel Neuer to the World Cup as number one for the German national football team. "Yes, I plan to," emphasized the 38-year-old DFB coach when asked about this at the presentation of the squad for the World Cup finals. "Everyone knows the aura that surrounds Manu. We are planning with him as number one. That's the decision and I think it's the right one."
Neuer resigned after the quarter-final exit at the home European Championship in July 2024. The currently ailing 40-year-old 2014 world champion has played a total of 124 international matches and will start the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico as number one.
Oliver Baumann from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim will have to vacate his position in place of the Bayern keeper. It was a blow for Baumann, admitted Nagelsmann, but spoke of a "world-class 1b" solution. Baumann had made it clear in several phone calls that he wanted to help the team. The 35-year-old had been promoted to regular goalkeeper of the DFB team after Marc-André ter Stegen had been absent for several months and was originally supposed to be the number one for the World Cup.
Especially as Neuer had repeatedly stated that his retirement was irrevocable and Nagelsmann initially opted for Baumann.
"The internal discussions are over"
There were "of course a lot of discussions", "a lot of things that were considered and questioned", said Nagelsmann in general about the squad selection. Discussions were held until shortly before the game and attempts were made to make the right decisions. "They're done now," emphasized Nagelsmann: "The internal discussions are over."
In preparation for the finals, his team will play a home match against Finland on May 31 in Mainz and a test match against the USA on June 6 in Chicago. In World Cup Group E, the German team will face Curaçao, the Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
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Liveticker
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Liveticker closed
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How was it explained to Baumann that he is no longer the number 1?
Nagelsmann: "We told Oli Baumann back in March that we'd already had a meeting with Manuel Neuer. I simply informed him about the issues. We saw it as our duty to evaluate them all. The decision was a blow for Oli. Everyone knows that he wasn't super happy. That's never a nice thing, of course. Oli had a difficult time in the last few weeks and had a lot on his plate in the media. He had a great season with Hoffenheim. But he was very committed in the phone calls and said that he would never let the team down. Manu has something that surrounds him, based on his successes. We're also talking about an aura that speaks for him. I have a great relationship with Oli Baumann, which of course suffers when you make a decision like this."
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How did the return of Manuel Neuer come about and will he be number 1?
Nagelsmann: "I plan to use him as number 1. The aim was to nominate as many top players as possible. You can only nominate four goalkeepers. My task was to nominate the best three in the country. That's why we contacted Manuel Neuer and asked him if he would like to play another World Cup. One of the conditions was that he would stay on after the World Cup, and he has extended his contract with Bayern. Everyone knows his qualities and what he brings to the team. He has once again committed to playing in a tournament. We have a world-class 1B solution with Oliver Baumann."
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The complete Germany squad for the World Cup in North America
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Manuel Neuer is included
Now it's official, the most talked about player, Manuel Neuer, is in the World Cup squad for Germany.
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Press conference begins
Here we go, the press conference with Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann begins.
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These players have already been announced
The DFB has already published several names of World Cup players in the course of Thursday. The following players will definitely be involved:
Joshua Kimmich (Bayern)
Deniz Undav (Stuttgart)
Nico Schlotterbeck (BVB)
Kai Havertz (Arsenal)
Jamal Musiala (Bayern)
Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart)
Nathaniel Brown (Frankfurt)
Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern)
David Raum (Leipzig)
Nadiem Amiri (Mainz)
Maximilian Beier (BVB)
Leon Goretzka (Bayern) -
Can Neuer go to the World Cup after all?
Nagelsmann's statement on the goalkeeping issue with the imminent comeback of record goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is eagerly awaited. While Nagelsmann has so far remained stubbornly silent on personnel matters, media reports have revealed further allegedly fixed World Cup candidates. Neuer, Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nübel and Jonas Urbig could be the first four goalkeepers to be included in a tournament squad.
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Press conference from 1pm
24 days before Germany's opening game at the World Cup against Curaçao, Julian Nagelsmann reveals his World Cup secret. At a press conference on the DFB Campus (1 p.m.), the DFB coach will announce the squad list with the 26 players with whom he wants to launch a major title attack at the XXL tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
