Bayern Munich legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is weighing up whether or not he will retire at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga and Champions League seasons, and if he does, Die Roten are going to forge ahead with Jonas Urbig as his successor.
Per a report from Sport Bild, via iMiaSanMia, Bayern have no interest in signing another goalkeeper to compete with Urbig as the No. 1, should Neuer retire. The No. 2 could be Daniel Peretz or Alexander Nubel, or it could even be someone else, depending on how the summer window plays out.
For years, Bayern have contemplated replacing Neuer, even first tabbing former Schalke captain Nubel as his replacement. But Neuer has never relinquished the job, and even as he has shown decline, that’s only from being the world’s best to simply being good.
And Neuer is still good, just not quite as good as he used to be. Meanwhile, Urbig has the potential to be special, and the former FC Koln unicorn is the first goalkeeper, Nubel included, who looks ready to take the reigns from Neuer – and he’s also the first goalkeeper Neuer seems content with letting replace him.
Of course, Neuer still has to decide based on his own personal feelings what he wants to do, and he’s still effective enough that Bayern are not going to push him out the door if he chooses to stay one more year.
But the big story is that Bayern are standing by Urbig, which is great news for fans who know Urbig is a top young keeper and are tired of a revolving door of supposed Neuer successors.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.