Stand: December 16, 2024, 9:41 a.m
Von: Michael Dürr
PressSplit
Manuel Neuer visited the FC Bayern fan club “Red Rockets Hopferbach”. In Ostallgäu he talked about his contract, Pep Guardiola and Schafkopf.
Hopferbach – When stars travel by car, they usually let them drive. They like to have pre-made autograph cards with them, smile on stage for three or four photos – and then they're gone again. Not the most famous guest Untrasried has ever welcomed. Manuel Neuer drove up himself on Sunday – in an exemplary manner in an electric Audi – took significantly longer than the announced two hours for the “Red Rockets Hopferbach”, wrote no fewer than 836 autographs for the around 150 participants in the packed shooting hall, and was for everyone To have fun, he fired a small cannon during the welcome outdoors and covered his ears as the Hopferbach gunners cracked and listened to the sounds of the Hopferbach music band, he later tapped a barrel of beer and even posed with a beer mug, although he only drank water and not a drop of beer. And he gave a little insight into his personal life plans starting next summer. The 39-year-old's contract with FC Bayern ends next year.
“Absolute jackpot” – world goalkeeper from FC Bayern im Allgäu: This is how football star Manuel Neuer’s visit to the fan club went
When the Bayern veteran entered the Schützenheim, presenter Andreas Schales played a little Allianz Arena: “Manuel!” he shouted into the hall, and from 150 throats came back three loud “Neuer!” The conclusion of the Bayern fans from Hopferbach about their prominent visit: They were all blown away. While Untrasried's mayor Alfred Wölfle spoke of an “absolute jackpot”, the Red Rockets women and men were full of praise for their guest. It is his natural manner and approachability that make him such a popular figure. “He’s just great,” summed up Ulrike, and Edelfan Johann said: “It’s unbelievable that a world goalkeeper, countless German champion, Champions League winner and world champion is staying with us for so long.”
And he did it with obvious fun. The creators of the 85-member Red Rockets around their chairman Peter Schweiger had also come up with a program that was hard to get bored with. For example, a press conference in which it was not trained journalists who asked supposedly clever questions, but rather children. It wasn't just about football, but also about sheepshead, for example. The Bavarian national card game is also played on Säbener Straße in Munich, but Ruhrpottler native Neuer complained with a wink about FC Bayern's increasingly “poor transfer policy because we are slowly running out of Schafkopf players”.
The FCB team captain also readily described how the last minutes before a game go: “After warming up, you have to change and maybe go to the toilet.” Afterwards, all the players in the dressing room formed a circle, heard the coach’s last words and then high-fived each other. The fact that the stadiums are sold out for every Bayern game is not a burden, “but rather gives us something.”
No, the 38-year-old, who is suffering from a rib fracture, replied to a question, he was not in Mainz on Saturday but was watching the game at home on TV. “We imagined it differently,” he commented on the surprising 1:2 defeat; In such situations “the fans are also there to build the boys up again”. He didn't hesitate for long anyway, he said once again with a wink, “but was actually thinking about my appointment today in Allgäu.” He freely admitted that Hopferbach, a town with 650 souls, had never been known to him, but Allgäu had. As a child, his parents often stopped in Memmingen on vacation trips from Gelsenkirchen to the south.
And then there was the matter of the contracts. Manuel Neuer wanted to know how many pages such a paper contained – Manuel Neuer had to estimate: around 60 to 80 pages, he said, but he didn't read them himself. His lawyers took care of that. “I'm glad I don't have to write them,” he said to the general amusement in the room, “but for me they would definitely be much shorter.” In this context, the FCB goalkeeper granted a small one Looking at his future from next summer: “I think both sides would be happy if it continued,” Neuer said, indicating that a contract extension is not out of the question. However, there is no need to rush in this matter. “I have to get well first, I still have a little something on my rib,” he said, referring to the injury he sustained when he fouled and received his first red card in his career in the cup game against Leverkusen.
As the game continued, it was darts' turn. Neuer was allowed to throw his arrows at an Advent calendar, and one of his companions was hidden behind each door. Pep Guardiola, for example, is “still the best coach” in the eyes of the world goalkeeper. Pep has “raised FC Bayern to a new level”. The current coach Vincent Kompany is also very good: “Since he also played at a world-class level, as a player you have the feeling that he thinks like a player.”
FC Bayern star Manuel Neuer on Schweinsteiger and “Robbery”
Neuer knew about his ex-teammate Bastian Schweinsteiger's ambitions away from the football field. When his wife, the former world-class player Ana Ivanovic, confirmed to him after a tennis match that he had been the best opponent of all the footballers to date, Bastian was not at all amused. Arjen Robben “sometimes wanted too much, but he shot us to the Champions League title against BVB at Wembley.” And Franck Ribéry “always got more red cards than me”.
His current teammate Thomas Müller (35) is the one with whom he has played the longest: to date, exactly 591 times. Müller's contract also expires at the end of the season. He is “a link in the team, he can do something with all groups in the team”. For example, if the Spaniards formed a group at FC Bayern, “then Thomas would just join them.” Neuer: “It would be good if Thomas continued, at least for a year.” Finally, Uli Hoeneß praised the FCB team captain, saying that he “was the doer for decades. It is thanks to him that we are where we are today.”
The keeper had to (er, was allowed to) practice tapping the beer barrel on a wooden block into which he had to drive a nail. If this was only reasonably successful, the beer would flow out of the barrel after just four taps. And without any major mishaps. Manuel Neuer was then allowed to toast with the children, but his beer mug was still filled to the brim afterwards. And of course the children didn't drink beer, but lemonade.
What followed was an extensive autograph session in which the guest showed great patience and wrote his name 836 times on autograph cards, scarves, FC Bayern jerseys and also on the playing equipment of music club drummer Fabian Guba and his colleague. The keeper was just as willing to pose for souvenir photos, which – who's surprised? – were in great demand. Among those who received this honor was Werner Buchenberg, known as “Jackson”. The self-proclaimed “Hausl vom Schützenheim” reported that his grandfather had this nickname, and he wanted to be called that too.
Neuer saves Wölfle's Christmas
The photo marathon with Manuel Neuer also meant that for Mayor Wölfle “Christmas was saved”. Reason: Wife Ulrike really wanted to have a photo with the long-time national goalkeeper – her wish was promptly fulfilled. While the Red Rockets now have an “honorary member with number one” in Neuer, as club boss Schweiger confirmed in a certificate, their fan club also grew by an ordinary member on Sunday: town hall boss Wölfle announced that he wanted to join immediately.
Oh yes: the people of Hopferbach didn't want to let their guest go empty-handed. Peter Schweiger presented Manuel Neuer with a richly filled gift basket – with all kinds of delicacies from the Allgäu. May the world goalkeeper fondly think back to the “most beautiful district in Germany” (Alfred Wölfle).
With the Kreisbote newsletter and the Kurier newsletter every day at the end of the day or with the new “Kreisbote” app and the new “Kurier” app, you will always be up to date on the most important stories from the Allgäu region.
