National goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has clearly underlined his ambitions for the home European Championship next year, even after a long injury break. “I want to play in this stadium because the final is here. “We want to create positive emotions in our country together with the fans and achieve the big goal,” said the 37-year-old on Wednesday on the Maifeld in Berlin near the Olympic Stadium. The official match ball for the tournament was presented there.
Neuer returned to FC Bayern Munich at the end of October after breaking his leg. In consultation with national coach Julian Nagelsmann and DFB goalkeeping coach Andreas Kronenberg, the 117-time national player was not nominated for the upcoming international matches against Turkey on Saturday in Berlin and three days later in Vienna against Austria.
Neuer: “That wouldn’t have made any sense”
That wouldn’t have made any medical sense, Neuer said on Wednesday. “For me it’s about showing my performance at Bayern first,” he said. He still accepts the competition with Marc-André ter Stegen (31) from FC Barcelona for number one in the DFB team. “It is of course my goal to be back at the March internationals. I want to attack that ambitiously.”
Would he also go to the European Championships as number two? “I haven’t thought about it yet. It’s important for me to come back now. The contact with Julian is very good because he was my coach at Bayern. We are constantly in communication. He is also very happy that things started so well for me,” said the 37-year-old.
The prospect of a European Championship in his own country creates great anticipation for Neuer. “I am very grateful to have the opportunity to rejoin the team and have the opportunity to play another European Championship,” said the goalkeeper. “It is the first tournament for me in my own country. This is something special for all of us, for the football nation of Germany. And of course I want to use that.”
Published/Updated: Tobias Rabe Published/Updated: Recommendations: 5 Christoph Becker Published/Updated:
The groups will be drawn at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg on December 2nd. The European Championship begins on June 14, 2024 with the German team’s opening game against an as yet unknown opponent in Munich. The final will be played on July 14th in Berlin.
