David Ospina, Memo Ochoa, Tim Howard, Thibaut Courtois. All of these men are world-class keepers who have shown throughout this tournament why they were chosen to represent their countries. There is one keeper however that rules supreme.
Anyone that has watched the German squad throughout this tournament has had the pleasure of seeing guys like Thomas Mueller, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mats Hummels display their talents out on the field. But the one player that has stood out in front of the rest has been keeper Manuel Neuer.
Throughout the past four weeks Neuer has made save after save after save. What makes him so great though is the fact that he is the most versatile keeper in the entire world. There are even jokes in Germany about how he pressures national team Jogi Loew to let him play in midfield. A testament to how good he is with his feet was displayed when he touched the ball a miraculous 19 times outside of his own box, when Germany narrowly scraped by Algeria.
He is the epitome of a leader, someone anyone of his teammates knows they can count on in the toughest of moments. His ability to read the game makes his 6’4 presence that much bigger in the box. Rarely do you see him make a mistake, and when he does he knows he has no one else to blame but himself.
After Brazil scored their single goal in the 90’ minute after Germany had put seven in before that, the cameras panned to an angry Neuer who despite the score line, could not accept the fact that he was not able to hold a clean sheet. It is this kind of attitude that any player or coach would want from their keeper.
So when Germany steps out onto the Maracana on Sunday Neuer will once again need to be at the top of his game. Playing the goalie position is more than just stopping shots. It is managing your backline, directing them where to go; giving your team a passing option in the back and most importantly reading the game and anticipating what the opponent’s next move will be. And there is no one in the entire world that does those things better than Germany’s #1.
***Manuel Neuer has played his club football for FC Bayern Munich for the past three years after he transferred from his boyhood club Schalke 04 for $8.5 million in 2012.***
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