Friday 18th December 2020
As the best not in the world eleven
The bizarre world goalkeeper Neuer
By Tobias Nordmann
Manuel Neuer from FC Bayern is honored as a world goalkeeper after the triple season of the Munich team. In the freestyle of the world association, he prevails against Alisson Becker and Jan Oblak. However, Neuer is not in the world eleven. How can that be?
Manuel Neuer was the best goalkeeper in the world this year. Fifa announced this at its “The Best” gala on Thursday evening in Zurich. At FC Bayern, of course, they have known about the world’s best qualities of the goalkeeper for a very long time, and it would not have needed public confirmation. And of course they are also proud of their captain, even if he stressed his club in the first half of the year with accusations during the negotiations for a new contract.
“Manuel Neuer absolutely deserves the title of world goalkeeper,” said Munich club boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge that evening. “Manuel has taken the goalkeeping game to a completely new level, for me he is the best goalkeeper in football history.” Robert Lewandowski was also honored as the best player of the year in Zurich. A well-deserved honor too. On the other hand, coach Hansi Flick is surprisingly not “The Best”, he has to admit defeat to Liverpool champion Jürgen Klopp – why, read here.
Even without the maximum amount of honor, Munich is happy with the decision, which was brought about in equal parts by the votes of the captains and head coaches of national teams, journalists and fans. Neuer beat last year’s Brazilian winner Alisson Becker from Liverpool and the Slovenian Jan Oblak from Atlético Madrid. For the place in the world eleven it was not enough for Neuer. That seems quite bizarre, but can be explained very simply. The world eleven has been elected by the members of the FIFPro professional association since 2005, and this has been done under the official label of the world association since 2009.
“He’s really in the shape of his life”
Whether it is deserved or not. Well, it’s probably like Flick and Klopp. There are good arguments for either decision. Neuer had collected many good arguments for himself again in the past few weeks. When his people in Munich, exhausted and exhausted from the exhausting year and battered by numerous injuries, faltered, there he was. As titanizing life insurance. The 34-year-old collected numerous performance records with the notes “strong” to “sensational” in his compulsory game booklet.
“He’s really in the shape of his life,” said coach Hansi Flick at the end of November after beating RB Salzburg 3-1 in the Champions League. “It’s sensational how he saves great chances and saves us goals. He had one or two things to do – too much for me.” Incidentally, Neuer only has one thing to do this year. However, it could be very busy on Saturday. Because the top game in the Bundesliga is against Bayer Leverkusen and thus against what is currently the most spectacular offensive in German football, probably even in European. Joshua Kimmich may be celebrating a lightning comeback after his serious injury. That would be an early Christmas present for the stability of the record champions’ game.
Kimmich has worked his way up to the absolute and undisputed leader not only in the club, but also in the national team this year. Alongside Lewandowski, Neuer and Thomas Müller, the midfield terrier was the most defining character in the outstanding FC Bayern team. That also earned him a place in the world eleven, unlike Neuer and Müller. There is also Alphonso Davies, the furious climber on the left defensive side of the record champions. And a fourth player from the triple team is one of the best: Thiago, who now plays for Liverpool.
This is what the eleven of the year looks like
Alisson Becker (FC Liverpool) – Trent Alexander-Arnold (FC Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (FC Liverpool), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Alphonso Davies (FC Bayern) – Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Thiago (FC Bayern / FC Liverpool) – Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Robert Lewandowski (FC Bayern), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus Turin).
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