Birthday: 1986/03/27
Full name: Manuel Neuer
Place of Birth: Gelsenkirchen, West Germany
Height: 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position: Goalkeeper
He was unexpectedly elevated to the No. 1 shirt following the tragic death of Robert Enke and an injury to Rene Adler, and, just like his team, belied his tender years with a series of mature performances. Famously, he claimed he "fooled" Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda into failing to spot that Frank Lampard's shot had crossed the line for England in the second round.Manuel Neuer had been a Schalke player since the age of five and was described as the "public face" of the club, before he opted to move on to Bayern Munich in 2011.
Neuer had been a regular at Schalke since the 2006-07 season, when he made his debut at the age of 20, and perhaps his finest appearance in a Schalke shirt came in March 2008 when he made a succession of excellent saves, and stopped two penalties in a shoot-out, as the club reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time at Porto's expense.
A European Under-21 champion in 2009, Neuer decisively transferred his club form to the senior international stage when starring for Germany in the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
Strengths: Neuer's impressive reflexes make him a shot-stopper of real repute but his excellent distribution also ensures he is an offensive threat.
Weaknesses: He could be a more commanding presence in his own box, though Neuer has worked hard on this aspect of his game in recent times.
Career high: Being named his country's No. 1 goalkeeper for the 2010 World Cup finals as Germany impressed en route to a semi-final defeat at the hands of eventual champions Spain.
Career low: A 5-0 hammering at the hands of Kaiserlautern in November 2010 that compounded a desperately poor start to the season for Schalke.
Style: Enthusiastic, accomplished, dynamic. The model of a modern goalkeeper.
Quotes: "Of course, we would be able to sell him for a vast sum of money. But we would not be able to pick up any equal replacement afterwards". Schalke manager Felix Magath, December 2010.
Trivia: Neuer's idol is former Schalke, Arsenal and Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.
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