Veteran goalie Manuel Neuer lost his captaincy to new Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, with Ilkay Gundogan expected to lead the team in Euro 2024.
Existing Captain Injury
Following Germany’s World Cup elimination, Neuer broke his leg in a skiing accident while on vacation. That kept him out of play until December 2022. After undergoing surgery for the injury, Neuer first resumed training with Bayern Munich in August.
He then experienced another setback, though, and returned to limited team training last month. Neuer has not played a game since the World Cup last year. Bayern’s sports director Christopher Freund’s statement at the time that it would be “only a matter of days” until he could return to action.
Last month, in Bayern’s DFB Pokal match against Preussen Munster, a third-tier team, he was supposed to play. However, manager Tomas Tuchel decided to start Daniel Peretz, a young potential, while Max Schmitt was kept off the pitch.
In Neuer’s absence, former Manchester City player Gundogan has also led the national team. Julian Nagelsmann who just took over as Germany’s manager from Hansi Flick—has stated that Neuer will not be receiving the armband again.
New Captain For Germany Says Julian Nagelsmann
BILD cited Julian Nagelsmann as stating, “Ilkay will remain captain”. This came in response to a question about Gundogan’s captaincy when Germany hosts the Euros the following year. “It’s important that we have continuity there.”
BILD further implied that it may be the end of Neuer’s international career. Bayern fired Toni Tapalovic, their custodian coach, earlier this year. Nagelsmann complained about Toni Tapalovic’s actions.
Despite their past colleagues at Schalke, he remains one of Neuer’s closest friends, with Tapalovic serving as the best man at Neuer’s wedding. In an interview with the Athletic after Tapalovic’s exit, Neuer took a strong line at Bayern, stating, “That blow hit me extremely hard.”
