Sport Sepp Maier
“With performances like those against Austria, the DFB team will fail miserably at the 2024 European Championships”
As of: 12:12 p.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
They called him the “Cat of Anzing”: Sepp Maier, 1974 world champion
Source: dpa/Karl-Josef Hildenbrand
A German football hero of the past looks at the upcoming European Football Championship with skepticism: Sepp Maier. When it comes to goalkeeping, the keeper from the 1974 World Cup team has a clear favorite.
Goalkeeper legend Sepp Maier firmly believes that Manuel Neuer will keep the goal for the German national team at the home European Championship next summer. In the competition with Marc-André ter Stegen, Maier sees Neuer (37), who has recovered from a broken leg, ahead. In addition, Ter Stegen (31) was recently absent from the DFB team and FC Barcelona due to back problems and had to undergo an operation.
“Ter Stegen is a very good goalkeeper, but Manu is on the way to his old form, so there is no doubt who will be number 1 at the European Championships in Germany,” said Maier in an interview with Sport1 published on Christmas Eve.
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The 1974 world champion, who turned 80 at the end of February, said he never doubted Neuer’s return. The goalkeeper from Maier’s former club FC Bayern Munich was out for more than ten months after an accident on a skiing holiday.
“He’s such a great goalkeeper, he just had to come back,” said Maier and even described Neuer’s comeback at the end of October in the home game against Darmstadt 98 as his personal highlight of the year. Neuer did not take part in the following international matches.
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Overall, the former national goalkeeping coach explained that he is looking forward to the home European Championships with mixed feelings in view of his past appearances. With performances like the defeats against Turkey and Austria, national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team will fail miserably and not survive the preliminary round. But Maier expects a similar euphoria in Germany as at the 2006 World Cup.
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Despite the recent results, Maier rejects the return of Toni Kroos, which was recently discussed by Nagelsmann.
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“He had his time. We have many other talented players in his position who can help the team,” said Maier about the soon-to-be 34-year-old Real Madrid midfielder. That doesn’t mean that the 2014 world champion isn’t a great player and hasn’t done anything for German football.
