A few months after the triumph in Rio, a new journey has begun for the Germany national team. Manuel Neuer has already pointed out where it hopefully will end. “We want to become European Champions now too,” he said. On Tuesday, the goalkeeper and the DFB-Team will play their next EURO 2016 qualifier in Gelsenkirchen, Neuer’s hometown and where it all began for him.
With friends? With colleagues? With your husband? Or with the best wife of all? There are many different ways of taking a trip to Schalke, but Manuel Neuer’s very first one came in somewhat unusual circumstances. Back in 1990, the now Germany goalkeeper was in police care when he discovered the world of the Parkstadion, Schalke 04 and the Bundesliga. It was all previously just stuff he had heard about from friends or seen on TV. Neuer’s visit was a great adventure; the bustling crowds, the deafening noise and the thrills and spills of the football all left their mark on him.
Neuer was both excited and nervous, his heart was pounding, but not because he was surrounded by policemen. After all, he hadn’t been up to no good… “My father was a policeman and worked at Schalke’s stadium on matchdays. Sometimes he would take me with him. The police had a booth under the Parkstadion roof which they used to observe the fans. I saw my first game from in there,” remembers Manuel Neuer.
Special bond with Gelsenkirchen
24 years have passed since and Manuel Neuer has been in stadiums all over the country and the world since then. There’s no doubting that little Manuel would have been stunned if he had been told back then just what the future would hold for him. Just like so many kids his age, he had dreams of being out there on the pitch himself one day. “When I grow up, I want to be a Germany international,” Neuer often thought and said. He did grow up to be just that, and even grew into the most successful goalkeeper that Schalke have ever produced.
Neuer and Gelsenkirchen isn’t anything new, but there is a special relationship. The goalkeeper spent 20 years at FC Schalke 04. He has gone from a kid to a star, from a fan to a player, from a player to a Germany international, and from a Germany international to a World Champion. He now wants to take the next step to EURO 2016 with the DFB-Team, as they get ready to face Ireland in a qualifier on Tuesday (20:45 CEST), and the World Cup winning goalkeeper also wants to enjoy the return to his hometown. It won’t be a completely new sensation for Neuer though. He’s played against Ireland before, it’s not his first return to Schalke and it certainly won’t be his first time playing in Gelsenkirchen.
Memories of Schalke
He played in goal for S04 countless times and has even taken on Schalke in their own stadium four times in FC Bayern colours. His second international appearance also came in Gelsenkirchen – a meeting with the Ivory Coast in November 2009 while still a Schalke keeper. He had already made the move to Bayern when he returned three years ago in a 6-2 qualifying win over Austria, and while he did concede twice, the three points were enough to seal Germany’s place at EURO 2012.
There’s no doubt that memories will come flooding back when he takes to the pitch on Tuesday night: How he became a goalkeeper (as no one else wanted to go in net during his first training session as a kid), cheering Schalke on as a fan in the Nordkurve in the Parkstadion, watching Jens Lehmann’s every move during his warm-up, how he worshipped Ingo Anderbrügge and Mike Büskens, how the “Eurofighters” battled their way to the title in 1997 and how he learnt that huge disappointments come with being a football fan as Schalke were the infamous “four-minute champions” in 2001.
“Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation” in place since 2010
Of everything he has done in Gelsenkirchen, founding the “Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation” in 2010 – an outreach programme for underprivileged children in the Ruhr area – is one of his biggest successes. It’s a project he has put a lot of effort into and continues to do so. His foundation finances and supports eight long-term projects, while Neuer has also been and is involved in numerous one-off projects.
A few months after the triumph in Rio, a new journey has begun for the Germany national team. Manuel Neuer has already pointed out where it hopefully will end. “We want to become European Champions now too,” he said. On Tuesday, the goalkeeper and the DFB-Team will play their next EURO 2016 qualifier in Gelsenkirchen, Neuer’s hometown and where it all began for him.
With friends? With colleagues? With your husband? Or with the best wife of all? There are many different ways of taking a trip to Schalke, but Manuel Neuer’s very first one came in somewhat unusual circumstances. Back in 1990, the now Germany goalkeeper was in police care when he discovered the world of the Parkstadion, Schalke 04 and the Bundesliga. It was all previously just stuff he had heard about from friends or seen on TV. Neuer’s visit was a great adventure; the bustling crowds, the deafening noise and the thrills and spills of the football all left their mark on him.
Neuer was both excited and nervous, his heart was pounding, but not because he was surrounded by policemen. After all, he hadn’t been up to no good… “My father was a policeman and worked at Schalke’s stadium on matchdays. Sometimes he would take me with him. The police had a booth under the Parkstadion roof which they used to observe the fans. I saw my first game from in there,” remembers Manuel Neuer.
Special bond with Gelsenkirchen
24 years have passed since and Manuel Neuer has been in stadiums all over the country and the world since then. There’s no doubting that little Manuel would have been stunned if he had been told back then just what the future would hold for him. Just like so many kids his age, he had dreams of being out there on the pitch himself one day. “When I grow up, I want to be a Germany international,” Neuer often thought and said. He did grow up to be just that, and even grew into the most successful goalkeeper that Schalke have ever produced.
Neuer and Gelsenkirchen isn’t anything new, but there is a special relationship. The goalkeeper spent 20 years at FC Schalke 04. He has gone from a kid to a star, from a fan to a player, from a player to a Germany international, and from a Germany international to a World Champion. He now wants to take the next step to EURO 2016 with the DFB-Team, as they get ready to face Ireland in a qualifier on Tuesday (20:45 CEST), and the World Cup winning goalkeeper also wants to enjoy the return to his hometown. It won’t be a completely new sensation for Neuer though. He’s played against Ireland before, it’s not his first return to Schalke and it certainly won’t be his first time playing in Gelsenkirchen.
Memories of Schalke
He played in goal for S04 countless times and has even taken on Schalke in their own stadium four times in FC Bayern colours. His second international appearance also came in Gelsenkirchen – a meeting with the Ivory Coast in November 2009 while still a Schalke keeper. He had already made the move to Bayern when he returned three years ago in a 6-2 qualifying win over Austria, and while he did concede twice, the three points were enough to seal Germany’s place at EURO 2012.
There’s no doubt that memories will come flooding back when he takes to the pitch on Tuesday night: How he became a goalkeeper (as no one else wanted to go in net during his first training session as a kid), cheering Schalke on as a fan in the Nordkurve in the Parkstadion, watching Jens Lehmann’s every move during his warm-up, how he worshipped Ingo Anderbrügge and Mike Büskens, how the “Eurofighters” battled their way to the title in 1997 and how he learnt that huge disappointments come with being a football fan as Schalke were the infamous “four-minute champions” in 2001.
“Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation” in place since 2010
Of everything he has done in Gelsenkirchen, founding the “Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation” in 2010 – an outreach programme for underprivileged children in the Ruhr area – is one of his biggest successes. It’s a project he has put a lot of effort into and continues to do so. His foundation finances and supports eight long-term projects, while Neuer has also been and is involved in numerous one-off projects.
In association with television channel RTL, a children’s home is currently being developed in Gelenkirchen-Buer and will offer children and young adults between six and 18 meals, help with their homework and other activities. “With the Kids Foundation, I want to share some of my fortune and live up to my social responsibilities by giving underprivileged children something of what I was able to have during my youth back.”
His memories of his time at Schalke also include his departure. It was a tearful farewell for Neuer, who didn’t hide his emotions. “I only have this one career,” he said back then. Three years on and his achievements speak for themselves: Two Bundesliga titles with Bayern, two DFB Cup wins, one Champions League winner’s medal and one Club World Cup.
World Champions and World Goalkeeper of the Year
He has also won the biggest thing you can possibly win with the Germany national team. Neuer became a World Cup winner in July 2014 and has also been recognised as the world’s best goalkeeper. But he’s so much more than just a goalkeeper. “We had an eleventh outfield player in the form of our goalkeeper,” said Joachim Löw after the title win in Brazil and added something that only the biggest footballers ever have said about them: “I think that Manuel Neuer has changed world football!”
It was just Neuer doing was Neuer does best: Interpreting his game in an attacking style. He commanded not only his area, but also his half of the pitch. “Everything I do serves to help the team,” said a humble Neuer. Sometimes that encompasses making top-quality saves or having good positional play, but every now and again a trip outside of his 18-yard box is necessary.
Respect for the “Boys in Green” and their fans
That is often the case when the opponents are sitting deep and Neuer’s defensive teammates also have to push up. That could be the case on Tuesday night. The Germany number 1 has respect for Ireland. In some ways, he feels a connection to the team. Neuer likes the Irish fans – he is a fan of loud atmospheres and the “Boys in Green” certainly know how to produce that. He was impressed by how they got behind their team during the EUROs in Poland and Ukraine; the songs they sung during their 4-0 defeat to Spain are still ringing in his ear. “It was great to experience that. The atmosphere was really something else,” he said. Something he likes even more than the Irish supporters though are the fans in Gelsenkirchen. After all, he used to be one of them. “I’m certain that the fans in Gelsenkirchen will provide us with tremendous support and will give their all for the team,” said Neuer – just like he used to do back in the Parkstadion as a youngster.
