Manuel Neuer, the Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper, indicated on Tuesday that he is “very likely” to retire at the end of the forthcoming season. Speaking from the club’s training camp in Rottach-Egern, southern Bavaria, the 40-year-old captain said he does not approach matches with a sense of finality. “I’m not playing every match thinking it could be my last. It doesn’t matter if I might have visited a particular stadium for the last time,” he told reporters.

Neuer signed a one-year contract extension in May, but he admitted that in 85 per cent of cases he would have called time on his career after the 2025-26 season. The remaining 15 per cent, he explained, was anchored in the environment at Bayern. “With this squad, the staff and the coaching team, it is simply enjoyable,” he said. “We are always in a position to compete for all the titles.” Reflecting on his decision, he noted: “This group, this team and the structure at the club were the 15 per cent that convinced me to carry on.”

That conviction persisted despite a season interrupted by a left calf injury that sidelined him in February and March, and again in mid-May, forcing him to miss the German Cup final – a 3-0 win over Stuttgart that secured a domestic double alongside the Bundesliga title. Neuer had earlier played a decisive role in the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, keeping the Spanish side at bay in the first leg en route to a 6-4 aggregate victory. Bayern’s European challenge ended in the last four against Paris Saint-Germain, who went on to lift the trophy for a second consecutive year.

Neuer’s trophy-laden career includes 13 Bundesliga championships and two Champions League titles since his 2011 move from Schalke, as well as the 2014 World Cup with Germany. Having initially retired from international football after Euro 2024, he reversed that decision for the 2026 World Cup, only for Germany to fall to Paraguay on penalties in the round of 32 – the nation’s third successive early exit from the tournament.

Bayern will begin their competitive season with the German Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund on 22 August, followed by their Bundesliga opener at Stuttgart six days later. Neuer is expected to play a mentoring role for Jonas Urbig, the 22-year-old understudy being groomed as his long-term successor, and other young goalkeepers. For now, the veteran insisted the campaign ahead is not about farewells. “You feel happy somehow because everything starts from scratch, you have new goals and you can achieve a lot with the club,” he said.